Story to give O’brien another win

ONCE-RACED Dubawi filly Never Ending Story looks the stand-out bet at the opening session of the Curragh’s three-day Dubai Duty Free

Irish Derby Festival meeting.

Trained by Aidan O’brien - whose Cazoo Oaks heroine and supplementary entry Tuesday will face seven rivals in tomorrow’s Irish Derby - Never Ending Story was well-touted ahead of her debut at the Guineas meeting, ran a race full of promise and, stepping-up in trip, Ryan Moore’s mount should prove very tough to beat in the Westgrove Hotel Irish EBF Fillies 2-Y-0 Maiden.

Having tracked the leaders on her debut, the Ballydoyle filly looked the likely winner inside the final furlong before going down by a neck and a half-length behind Zarinsk and Olivia Maralda.

Never Ending Story holds Aspen Grove (fifth) and Finsceal Go Deo (ninth) on that form, which has been boosted by the subsequent wins of With Love (fourth) and Zoinnocent (sixth).

Plenty of improvement is expected from the selection, who should be helped by the extra furlong. And, unless there is a very smart newcomer in the field, she should open her account.

Tonight’s feature is the Group 2 Comer Group International Curragh Cup, in which Aidan O’brien’s Wordsworth, whose 2021 form included a third to Hurricane Lane in the Irish Derby, sets the standard.

But the Galileo colt, who holds Master

Of Reality and Camorra (both better off at the weights) on Orby Stakes form, must bounce back from a tough race in the marathon Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot last week, where he was ridden positively before weakening late into seventh spot behind the Willie Mullinstrained Stratum.

Presumably fully recovered, 108-rated Wordsworth gets the nod over Joseph O’brien’s pair Gear Up (stepping-up significantly in trip) and veteran Master Of Reality.

In this evening’s handicap action, I like the Ger Lyons-trained Mutasarref in the seven-furlong Hollywoodbets Handicap.

Successful over this trip on his stable debut at Leopardstown, he was far from disgraced on his next start in Cork (drawn on the wrong side) behind Celtic Crown, in a €150,000 contest.

And Joseph O’brien’s Common Practice (owned by JP Mcmanus) is well worth a market-check ahead of the DNG Apprentice Derby.

The Gleneagles gelding’s seasonal debut fourth in Listowel has been boosted by the placed horses, Galleria Borghese (won a listed event in Naas this week) and National Gallery.

And significantly, Dylan Browne Mcmonagle’s mount, who has never raced beyond seven furlongs, steps up to a mile and a half here.

THE eight runners for tomorrow’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby will be: Boundless Ocean, French Claim, Glory Daze, Hannibal Barca, Lionel, Piz Madile, Westover and Tuesday.