Tony Keenan guides you through today's Curragh card and he's got an each-way selection to consider at a juicy price.
Irish racing tips: Saturday August 29
0.5pts e.w. Damsel In Distress in 13:53 at 16/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3)
After a long, dry summer, the weather has turned in the past week or so and while the Curragh has avoided most of that rain, it looks like they will be getting their share through today. The going can be expected to soften from the mainly good it is described as this morning.
Slower ground is at best an unknown for a few of the fancied runners in the Tote Irish Cambridgeshire at 16:15. Pierre Royal, Kalir and Loughrea fall into that bracket, with the last-named most interesting as one of least exposed in the field.
He did well to win from the front over course and distance in June when facing into a headwind and showed himself amenable to more restraint last time when following up at Leopardstown, winning with more in hand than the margin from Aviatrice who had excellent form at the trip. He looks priced about right, however.
Of the rest. Rahmi has dropped to a decent mark and has a claimer up while he shaped as if back to form last time at Gowran, finishing well on another day when that track was favouring front-runners. Ribee could get into the mix if the going softens markedly. Progressive in the early part of the season, he ran well for a long way in the Galway Mile despite over-racing and it likely that run was needed.
The Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes at 15:03 is one of three Group 3s on the card and it looks a strong race of its type, Coventry winner Great Barrier Reef having his first run since. That win was 74 days ago, and he might need this run ahead of bigger targets, the Middle Park perhaps, so he looks short enough.
Both the fillies at the bottom of the card have their chances, though Livenka may not want the ground to soften having been taken out of the Lowther on good-to-soft, but she was impressive in winning the Ballyhane last time, even allowing for the draw being in her favour.
Velozee should be fine whatever the ground turns up, and while she does not always find as much as she promises, her most recent third in the Phoenix Stakes gives her good claims.
The juveniles in the Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF Stakes (13:53) are less exposed, as one might expect with fillies running over a mile at this time of year, and there are plenty with chances. DAMSEL IN DISTRESS looks well-overpriced, however, and the emphasis on stamina should suit.
She won over an extended seven furlongs at Roscommon in June, looking as if further would suit while giving weight away to several subsequent winners in behind. Connections then stepped up graded for the new Listed Firville Stakes at Cork earlier this month, but when her trainer was interviewed before the race, he said that seven furlongs on decent ground would be too sharp for her.
The race played out as he said with a couple of things going wrong too. She was hampered at the stalls and met some traffic late in the race but essentially looked like a stayer, keeping on well late to finish fourth, clear of the rest.
That form looks strong, the winner an excellent prospect and the third well-regarded, and Damsel In Distress now gets the conditions her trainer believes she wants, with a decent pace likely too looking at the previous run styles of the field.
The final Group 3 on the day is the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes at 15:40 and it is competitive with 15 runners. The Cairn Rouge Stakes at the Killarney July meeting could be an important piece of form here, the winner Meriden holding decent claims and likely to be suited by stepping back up in trip after finding seven furlongs at Galway too sharp.
I would not rule out a good run from Sky Watch either, third in the Killarney race. She was off a break then and looked as if the mile was a bit sharp for her while her front-running style tends to be effective over the nine-furlong trip at the Curragh, provided she can get forward from a wide draw.
She is the only one of the first five from the Killarney race that hasn’t run since, the other four all posting improved efforts, while the form of her German 1,000 Guineas third is not bad either.
Preview published at 08:20 BST on 29/08/26
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