2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips by Dave Stevos
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips and Preview
No winner again for us on Saturday but we had a couple of near misses at both Leopardstown and Doncaster. Berkshire Rocco ran a superb race for us in the St Leger at 33s, missing out by a neck. Sinawann went even closer for us at 16s and he was in front everywhere bar on the line. Still, we got our e/w money. A Taad Moody (adv 9/1) and Tommy Taylor (adv 22/1) both placed too so it wasn’t an awful day. It would have felt a lot better with a winner though. The top class action continues on Sunday and you can check out Dave Stevos’ 2020 Champions Weekend Curragh tips below…
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh: 2.00pm – Bold Lad Handicap (Premier)
This Premier Sprint Handicap always attracts some quality horses and this year is no different. Our old friend Mr Lupton is over from the UK to try and nick the prize for Richard Fahey. The booking of Colin Keane suggests a big run could be on the cards. He finished a close 3rd in the Great St Wilfrid last time and he is a previous C&D G2 winner. Off a 2lb higher mark today he looks sure to be competitive, the bookies haven’t missed him though.
George Bowen and Soffia both won this race as 3yos in recent seasons and I think the 3yo Lil Grey could go well here for Sheila Lavery and Rory Cleary. This daughter of Starspangledbanner has failed to fire this season in her two runs at Listed and G3 level. As a result the handicapper has dropped her from 95 to 88 and that could be a very workable mark on her handicap debut.
This filly was only beat 3L into 3rd by Millisle in a Listed contest here last season off level weights. That filly is now rated 115 and the 2nd Isabeau is rated 101 (2L ahead of Lil Grey. The 4th Real Appeal ran a cracker in the Sovereign Path on Saturday off 92. The ground today will suit the C&D winner and 4 of the last 5 winners have had low draws. Sheila Lavery has her horses in decent form and at odds of 50/1 Lil Grey is worth backing e/w.
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips: Lil Grey e/w @50/1 (6 Places)
Curragh: 2.35pm – Blandford Stakes (Group 2)
The first live race from the Curragh on ITV3 today is the Group 2 Blandford Stakes. A 10f Group 2 contest for fillies and mares, 11 are due to go to post and no trainer has a better record in this than Dermot Weld. He has saddled 5 of the last 6 winners of the race at prices ranging from 11/10 to 9/1. He runs Amma Grace and Zawara in it this year and I think the former could be interesting. She is a 96 rated 3yo and her three runs this term haven’t been bad at all. She was only 1.5L behind Thundering Nights on her penultimate start at Leopardstown (9f gd) and over this extra furlong she may get even closer.
Weld’s charge made her challenge up the inner at Leopardstown. She was closing on the winner when she almost clipped heels close to home and while she looked like she didn’t get 10f on her seasonal comeback, perhaps that was more down to fitness than a lack of stamina. She stayed on well on her previous start too over 8f so moving back up in distance looks the right move. Thundering Nights is just 8/1 here while Amma Grace is 50s. With so little between them last time, the Weld filly looks worth chancing e/w for small stakes.
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips: Amma Grace e/w @ 50/1
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh: 3.10pm – Flying Five Stakes (Group 1)
A field of 14 sprinters will battle it out in the Flying Five and it is a cracking renewal. I am a big Liberty Beach fan and I think she will appreciate today’s ground better than the good to firm she ran on last time when well beat behind Battaash. She has been far too keen on her last three starts but she managed to fill the placings in two of those starts. She was 2L behind Battaash at Royal Ascot and then 1L behind A’Ali when a beaten favourite at Sandown.
3yos have a really good record in this and they have won the last three renewals. John Quinn has his horses in top form and Safe Voyage denied us by a nose at Leopardstown yesterday when he beat Sinawann. She gets 4lb in allowances thanks to her age and sex and she has had plenty of time to get over her exertions last time at Goodwood. Liberty Beach needs to settle better today and if she does she has the ability to win this at odds of 8/1.
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips: Liberty Beach e/w @ 8/1 NAP
Curragh: 3.40pm – Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1)
Ken Condon is having a great season with his Juveniles and he runs two in this. Billy Lee has opted for Teresa Mendoza after her good G3 effort last time here (6f hvy). She previously won her maiden first time up on yielding and she looks an interesting contender. However, Thunder Beauty was also impressive when winning first time up at this track (6f yld) and she could turn out to be a nice spare ride for Colin Keane to pick up.
I really liked the manner of her debut victory. She tanked through the race and while she lugged slightly left when Billy Lee began to cajole her along, the way she quickened clear under mostly hands and heels when she straightened up was very impressive. There is plenty of stamina in her pedigree so this extra furlong shouldn’t be an issue and the slightly better ground today should suit too. 16/1 looks a very good price and at those odds Thunder Beauty is the e/w selection.
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips: Thunder Beauty e/w @ 16/1 NB (4 Places)
Curragh: 4.10pm – National Stakes (Group 1)
A field of 11 go to post for this year’s National Stakes and it looks a relatively open renewal. The one that looks overpriced after his form was boosted yesterday is Mac Swiney. Trained by Jim Bolger, this son of New Approach scored in the G2 Futurity Stakes at big odds last time. He beat Cadillac by half a length and that horse hosed up in the Champion Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown. He was 28/1 that day on account of a poor run at Leopardstown.
The trainer’s assistant said that he won despite the soft ground last time here rather than because of it. He is from the same family as Parish Hall, who won on quick ground and he has yet to run a poor race at the Curragh. He has a fair bit to find at the figures with the likes of Lucky Vega, Master Of The Seas and Battleground but Jim Bolger reckons this is his Derby horse for next year and at odds of 25/1 Mac Swiney is worth backing each way.
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips: Mac Swiney e/w @ 25/1
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh: 4.40pm – Irish St Leger (Group 1)
The Irish St Leger is the feature at the Curragh on Sunday and 8 will go to post. Sovereign and Fujaira Prince (who broke our hearts in the Ebor) head the market for Aidan O’Brien and Roger Varian respectively. However, the one to be on could be last year’s winner Search For A Song. Dermot Weld trains this daughter of Galileo and she ran a cracker last time here over a trip that is far too short for her. She stayed on very strongly behind Magical that day for 3rd (beat 4.5L) and that looked like a pipe opener to blow away the cobwebs for a repeat bid in this.
Dermot Weld has reported that she is in fine form and he is happy with her going into the race. She is rated just 2lb inferior to Sovereign and she gets 3lb from him so on the figures she should be bang there. She slammed Kew Gardens in this race last season and he went on to beat Stradivarius and it remains her only start at today’s trip of 14f. Everything looks right for her to run a big race again today and at odds of 6/1 she looks well worth backing e/w.
2020 Champions Weekend Curragh Tips: Search For A Song e/w @ 6/1
Curragh: 5.15pm – Super Auction Sales Race (2yo)
There is 300k up for grabs in this 6.5f sales race so it is no wonder that 20 go to post. Two English raiders head the market, Star Of Orion for Ralph Beckett and Night On Earth for Andrew Balding. This looks a wide open and trappy race and one that could outrun her massive odds of 50/1 is Belle Image for Sheila Lavery and Robbie Colgan. This very nicely bred daughter of Kodi Bear is a half sister to Isabeau, a smart juvenile who placed at Listed level as a 2yo.
The 3rd and 4th home from her debut at Dundalk both won next time out. Belle Image was sent off at 9/2 that day so clearly she must have been showing something at home. She clearly has to find a big jolt of improvement to get involved at the business end in this much better race but she is bred to appreciate the switch to turf and Sheila Lavery’s 2yos can come on a lot for their first outings. I wouldn’t be having the mortgage on but at 50/1 Belle Image is a very speculative e/w selection.
2020 Champions Day Curragh Tips: Belle Image e/w @ 50/1 (4 Places)
Curragh: 5.50pm – Northfields Handicap (Premier)
Last up on Champions Weekend is this 10f Premier Handicap. 22 go to post and it is a very competitive looking affair. If he can get away on level terms today Flaming Moon could go well for Mattie Smith. Joey Sheridan takes 5lb off this fella’s back so he is effectively racing off the same mark that he won off here back in August. That win came over 8f on good to yielding and he gets the same ground conditions today.
Flaming Moon is a 3yo so he gets the weight allowance and on pedigree he should see out the extra distance today. His sire Born To Sea is a stamina influence and his dam is a half sister to a 10f winner. Mattie Smith has had a winner and a 2nd from his last 3 runners so his horses are coming into form. This colt will carry just 8st 3lbs here and once he behaves himself at the start he looks capable of running a big race at odds of 12/1.
