TUESDAY’S READY TO STAR ON A WEEKEND
IRISH 1000 GUINEAS
BY AIDAN O’BRIEN can make it 11 wins in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas with Tuesday getting the vote in this afternoon’s Curragh feature.
This race gave O’brien his first classic success all the way back in 1997 when Classic Park prevailed and it is hard to look past the master of Ballydoyle this time.
Tuesday lines up with the strongest current form in the race having run so well to finish third in the English 1000 Guineas last time.
That run was only the third of her career and it represented a huge jump in class from the Naas maiden she won on the opening weekend of the season.
There is surely more to come from Tuesday and she is preferred to her stablemate History.
That one began her season with a taking success in a Group 3 over a mile at Leopardstown two weeks ago.
Homeless Songs, who skipped the French 1000 Guineas to come here, also impressed on her comeback at Leopardstown.
Perhaps the most interesting runner of all is the Fozzy Stack-trained Hermana Estrella who is returning from 53 weeks off. She won a Group 3 on her debut at Naas this time last year when she beat subsequent Royal Ascot winner Quick Suzy.
Today’s card also features the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and this race could be set for export with Lord North getting the vote.
The English raider is a high class international middle distance runner at his best and he looked as good as ever when dead heating for the Dubai Turf last time.
The former Royal Ascot winner gets the nod over Joseph O’brien’s State Of Rest who is bidding to make it four Group 1 wins in four different countries on his last four starts.
On a quality day’s racing Pearls Galore is a solid choice to land her first Group 2 in the Lanwades Stud Stakes.
This dual Group 1-placed filly boasts much the strongest form in the line up and she looks too strong for the recent Athasi Stakes winner Twilight Spinner.
Elsewhere, the first of the sprint handicaps might go to Elanora who has started her season with two good runs in defeat.
In the other sprint handicap Erosandpsyche can make a winning start for Paddy Twomey (above) having shown some decent form in 2021.
The blinkered Ark looks a solid option with a repeat of either of her last two runs looking good enough.