Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece I look ahead to the best of today’s racing from Deauville, the Curragh and Pontefract.
It’s a good day of racing on Sunday we have Group 1 action at Deauville. A good card at the Curragh where the feature race is the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes (4:35). There’s also final leg of the Sky Bet Sunday Series which heads south to Sandown and there’s a Listed race at Pontefract.
Deauville: Prix Morny
The race of the weekend at Deauville on Sunday. The Group 1 Prix Morny (3:25) is the race, and it looks a cracker. There’s been plenty of rain at Deauville in recent days and the going was being described as heavy on Saturday morning. It was supposed to be dry on Saturday and Sunday so the ground shouldn’t be heavy.
We have the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin winner Ramatuelle who looks the clear best of the French trained horses. However, the daughter of Justify has yet to race on ground worse than good to soft.
Aidan O’Brien trained River Tiber hasn’t been seen since winning the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. Easy ground shouldn’t be a problem for the son of Wootton Bassett but he is returning from a slight setback which means he has missed some work. Despite that he remains my idea of the winner.
Vandeek overcame greenness to make it 2-2 when winning the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood 17 days ago. It was soft ground at Goodwood, but I don’t think the colt really liked the ground but at least we know he handles.
Valiant Force is another who hasn’t been seen since winning at Royal Ascot. The Norfolk Stakes winner caused a 150/1 surprise that day but he’s a good colt and it looks like he will have a pacemaker here.
Verdict:
It's River Tiber for me. But It will be interesting to see if Vandeek can make the step up into Group 1 company which I think he can.
Curragh
There are two Group races at the Curragh this afternoon. The best of them is the St Leger Trial. This year’s renewal has only got five runners with Elder Eldarov declared a non-runner on Saturday. Despite his absence, it’s an interesting race, nonetheless.
Library ran a cracker when a 2 ¼ length 3rd of 8 in the Irish Oaks but was only runner-up in a Group 3 at Cork just 2 days ago. As she shown in the past, she can be a tough horse to pass if she gets and uncontested lead, but will she run.
Joseph O’Brien saddles three in Okita Soushi, Dawn Rising & Point King.
Okita Soushi won the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap (1m 4f) at Royal Ascot last time. Today’s extra 2f will suit the 5-year-old and he deserves to take his chance in pattern company. Dawn Rising won the Queen Alexandra Stakes (2m 5 ½ f) at Royal Ascot last time. He takes a big drop in trip here and I’m not sure a tactically run race will suit the 6-year-old. Point King is a useful colt who got within a short head of winning a Group 3 at Leopardstown over the distance in May. Not well positioned or seen to best effect when only 8th of 13 to Vauban in the Copper House Handicap at Royal Ascot last time.
Shamida is the most consistent horse in the line-up albeit she had a bit to find on official ratings. The filly got off the mark in a Leopardstown maiden (1m 4f) two starts back and then improved to win a Group 3 over the distance at the same venue last month. Unexposed over the trip she’s going the right way and maybe capable of the improvement to win this.
Verdict:
It might not have the biggest of line-up but it’s a fascinating race and Shamida is the one I would be with.
Pontefract
The Listed Flying Fillies' Stakes (3:25) is the highlight of a six race card at the West Yorkshire track.
A few contenders…
Previous C&D winner Gale Force Maya finished runner-up in last year’s race and looks sure to be popular. The mare doesn’t want ease in the ground. However, it’s forecast to be mainly dry so it shouldn’t be worse than good.
Kitai won a Class 2 handicap over C&D two starts back. However, she was slowly away and had no chance after when last of 13 at Goodwood when seeking the hat trick 19 days ago. The 3-year-old easily bounce back from a handy draw in stall 1. Funny Story ran well in that Goodwood race to finish third. She hails from the inform Ralph Beckett yard and is one to consider from stall 5.
Rage Of Bamby was a useful juvenile but we haven’t seen the 3-year-old since she finished a well beaten 11th of 13 in Chelmsford in April. Believing won that race before going on to win a Group 3 at Chantilly the following month. She disappointed back at 5f last time but has been given a 77 day break. If that layoff that has freshened her up she should can go well.
Demi Pointe is thrown in the deep end for her belated seasonal reappearance. The daughter of Pivotal won a Chelmsford novice in December and looked open to further progress that day. The hood goes on today and she’s not one to discount.
It’s not often you see a French based jockey ride at Pontefract. But today we have Ioritz Mendizabal coming over to ride Spanish challenger Samedi Rien. The 4-year-old will like this ground better than at Goodwood last time and the drop back to a strongly run 6f might suit. She doesn't have to find on OR's and is a player, albeit stall 14 isn’t great.
Verdict:
A tricky looking renewal. Gale Force Maya is the one to beat. I quite liked the claims of the Spanish challenger Samedi Rien but stall 14 has put me off. It will be interesting to see what the lightly raced Demi Pointe is capable of on her seasonal reapperance.
Sandown
The racing is as competitive as ever for the final leg of the Sky Bet Sunday Series. You can as ever watch all the racing on ITV4 this afternoon. I have a few fancies on the Sandown but I have covered the card for Victor Valu subscribers, but I have got one for you running at the Curragh.
Sunday Selection:
Curragh
5:05 – The Organiser is on a losing run of 1. However, he produced his best effort since joining his present yard when a 1 ¼ length 5th of 19 over C&D 8 days ago. Wayne Hassett takes a handy 7lb off the top weights back which gives him a good chance if building on last time out effort.
The Organiser – 8/1 @ Coral.
Good luck with your Sunday bets.
John