Friday Curragh Racing Tips and Preview by Dave Stevos
Friday Curragh Racing Tips And Preview
Sunday proved to be a tough day for us. Livachope was far from disgraced but wasn’t quite up to the task. Miss Myers was in the process of running big but ran out of room at a crucial time. Rebel At Dawn ran a blinder and we missed out on getting paid narrowly. Onassis never figured while Yaxeni ran a decent race but just missed out on a place. There is a top class card at the Curragh on Cambridgeshire day. Check out Dave Stevos Friday Curragh racing tips below…
Friday Curragh Racing Tips: 2.40pm Flame Of Tara Stakes (Group 3)
The ground will be fairly testing at the Curragh on Friday. Not many of these juveniles have experienced soft ground yet, but one that has is Dolce Notte. She made her debut a week ago at Killarney and ran a lovely race to finish 2nd (9f hvy). Owned by the Stacks and Coolmore, this daughter of The Gurkha was still a bit raw. However, once Chris Hayes got her straightened up and gave her a flick of the whip she stayed on lovely for 2nd. Hayes prefers Stack’s other runner today but Ronnie Whelan is a more than able replacement.
The winner of that race is entered in the G2 Beresford Stakes so he must be pretty highly thought of. Dolce Notte looks well worth a try at this level given that debut run and she is bred for the job. Her half sister Cambina was runner up in this very race in 2010 for Tommy Stack on soft and she went on to win a Grade 1 in America. Connections will be ultra-keen to get some Gorup placed form on the board for this filly. The fact she is proven on the ground means Dolce Notte is worth backing each way at big odds.
Friday Curragh Racing Tips: Dolce Notte e/w @ 25/1
Curragh: 3.10pm – Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes (Group 3)
Ten fillies go to post for this 9f Group 3 and the one I like at a decent price is Epona Plays. Albigna is the even money fav and on ratings she is the one to beat. She won on soft at the highest level last term and she ran a nice race on her comeback behind Peaceful. However, Epona Plays will relish conditions too and she comes into this race in fine fettle. By Australia, she has yet to run a bad race during her 7 race career. Even better, a couple of her best efforts have come on easy ground.
She won her maiden on yielding at Gowran (8f) and her 3rd on soft in a maiden at Leopardstown was another fine run. An official rating of 100 puts her right in the mix as far as placing goes. Also, Declan McDonagh looks a decent jockey booking. Willie McCreery has his string in solid form too. 16/1 looks too big about this filly and at those odds Epona Plays is the each way selection.
Friday Tips: Epona Plays e/w @ 16/1 NB
Curragh Tips: 3.40pm – Irish Cambridgeshire (Premier Handicap)
A maximum field of 20 go to post for this valuable handicap and it looks extremely competitive. The one I like in this is Cyrus Dallin for Joe Doyle and Denis Hogan. This horse has been running very well in similar races to this and more than deserves his place in the line-up. His mark has remained more or less static all season as a result of his consistency. However, he has shown repeatedly he can be competitive off today’s rating of 86.
It wasn’t the best of efforts at Cork last time in a less valuable race but his Premier Handicap form has been solid. He produced a cracking effort at Galway last month behind Current Option (7f sft) when he was beat just 2.5L into 7th. The way he stayed on up the hill that day suggested that stepping back up in trip would suit. He has placed course form in the book and he stayed on well behind Big Baby Bull, again over 7f, here back in June on good ground. Cyrus Dallin hasn’t got to find much to play a big part in the finish here and at odds of 16/1 he is the e/w NAP of the day.
Friday Curragh Racing Tips: Cyrus Dallin e/w @ 16/1 NAP (6 Places)
Curragh Friday Tips: 4.10pm – Round Tower Stakes (Group 3)
Fozzy Stack has some decent Juveniles to go to war with this season and Sloane Peterson has the credentials to run a big race for him here. This expensive purchase is well related and her owners will be very keen to get some black type onto her page. By Kodiac, she ran a nice race on her debut over C&D. She finished 5th that day on yielding ground and she was doing all of her best work at the finish.
Chris Hayes’ mount delivered on the potential she showed that day next time at Cork. She needed every inch of the 5f trip to get up and the step back up to 6f here ought to really suit. The ground was given as the reason for her not running in the Ballyhane Stakes but there was no black type on offer there and perhaps connections kept their powder dry for this race instead. If she handles the soft ground I think she could sneak into the frame at odds of 14/1.
