Curragh Racecourse: preview and tips for Saturday’s bumper eight-race card - including Group 2 Futurity Stakes and Debutante Stakes
A general view of the stand at The Curragh Photo: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
A couple of cracking Group 2 contests highlight Saturday's eight-race card at The Curragh with both worth €72,000 to the winner.
Racing gets underway at The Curragh at 1.45 with the two feature contests - the Futurity Stakes and the Debutante Stakes - at 3.30 and 4.05 before racing comes to a close at 5.40.
Read below to discover the latest tips and full meeting preview for The Curragh’s card on Saturday courtesy of BoyleSports, who offer the latest horse racing odds throughout the season.
The opening contest on the Saturday card sees a field of 15 heading to the start to take on the seven furlong sprint. There is no form to go on here with all these newcomers so the betting market will reveal a lot but it could be worth siding with Officer from the powerful Aidan O’Brien yard, who can go in at the first time of asking with top pilot Ryan Moore booked to ride. Stablemate Thrice is one to consider too, a Wootton Bassett colt who is bred to be useful over this distance.
Officer
The Paddy Twomey-trained Red Hugh O’Donnell is the one to beat in this 18-runner contest over six furlongs and build on a promising second at Tipperary a couple of weeks ago. Of his rivals, Desert Gelding was second of eight in a Navan maiden last time out and can go well again at The Curragh.
Red Hugh O’Donnell
Shoda was a convincing winner of a Galway maiden on her last spin and taking to handicaps for then first time here, can make the most of an attractive looking mark to score once again for trainer Joseph O’Brien. Recent Naas scorer Apercu can make her presence felt for trainer Andy Oliver, while Bay Of Sanibel is in with a shout too having won at Navan in May and a decent fourth in a Curragh handicap last time out.
Shoda
Sky Sports Racing presenter Callum Helliwell previews the two Group 2 contests on The Curragh card
“It’s actually quite an interesting contest - they all won last time out. I was really impressed with how Scorthy Champ won on debut at Leopardstown but this is a different proposition altogether.
“Henri Matisse for Aidan O’Brien is a good horse but of all the short price favourites of the day, I’d be keen to take him on with Hotazhell.
“Henri Matisse wasn’t first string for the team last time out when winning in the Railway Stakes. Look, he's the best horse in the race on paper but I would take him on with Hotazhell, who has improved with every single race and deserves this step up in class.”
Hotazhell
“Bedtime Story wins this, she just wins it and absolutely hacks up while doing so. Bubbling is a nice horse but at the end of the day, Aidan O’Brien has a lot better fillies in his team than Bubbling and Exactly and they are the second and third favourites in this race, they are just there to make up the numbers and won’t threaten Bedtime Story."
Bedtime Story
A whopping field of 23 will head to the start for this one mile and two furlong contest. Raydamann is a lightly-raced gelding for trainer Johnny Murtagh and has got better with each run, culminating in a second at Leopardstown last time out and is taken to get his head in front here. An interesting debutant from the Aidan O’Brien yard here is Revelry, a hefty 575,000 Guineas purchase as a yearling who is bred to go well over this trip.
Raydamann
The penultimate race on Saturday’s card is a one mile and two furlong contest for three-year-old’s and up, with preference of the 20-runner field heading to Rotolo, a very good second in a Leopardstown handicap last time out to a very progressive type so can go one better here ahead of Puturhandstogether, who landed a career-best when striking in a course and distance handicap 35 days ago.
Rotolo
Another big field of 15 will tackle the card closer over the five furlong trip, witn preference in the finale heading the at of Ostraka for trainer Daniel Murphy, who wasn;’t well-placed when midfield in a big field handicap here a week ago but can go plenty better with the blinkers back on to score.
Ostraka
