Donn McClean horse-by-horse guide
Agartha (Joseph O’Brien/Declan McDonogh)
She raced eight times last season as a juvenile, and she thrived on her racing, winning the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes and the Group 2 Debutante Stakes, and finishing second In the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.
She put up a big performance on her debut this season in finishing second in Leopardstown’s 1000 Guineas Trial, conceding 3lb to all her rivals and just giving best inside the final furlong to Homeless Songs, and she did well to finish second to History in the Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes back at Leopardstown, after she had been crowded out of it in the early stages of the race. She is a consistent and talented filly, and it is probable that she will run her race.
Concert Hall (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan)
Winner of the Group 3 Weld Park Stakes at The Curragh over seven furlongs last season, she battled on well to get the better of Magical Lagoon to land the Listed Salsabil Stakes over 10 furlongs at Navan on her debut this season.
The form of that race is working out well, with fourth-placed Tranquil Sea running out an impressive winner of the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes at Naas two weeks ago, and third-placed Cairde Go Deo winning the Listed Yeats Stakes at Navan last Saturday by eight lengths. By Dubawi out of Oaks winner Was, Concert Hall fully deserves to take her place in the line-up, but it may be that 10 or 12 furlongs will be her optimum trip.
Freedom Of Speech (Jim Bolger/Kevin Manning)
A winner over six furlongs last season, she has come up short in three attempts this season so far, and she will have to take a significant step forward if she is going to be involved.
Hermana Estrella (Fozzy Stack/Jamie Spencer)
She is a fascinating contender, we haven’t seen her since she won the Group 3 Fillies Sprint Stakes over six furlongs at Naas last May, beating subsequent Queen Mary Stakes winner Quick Suzy into second place, with the pair of them clear of their rivals.
She showed a lot of pace that day, but you can argue the case that she will get seven furlongs at least. She went to the line strongly at Naas, and her dam is a half-sister to Lady Springbank, who won two Group 3 races over seven furlongs. It will be some training feat by Fozzy Stack if he can get her back to win an Irish Guineas off an absence of 371 days, but he has his team in tremendous form, he had a double at The Curragh on Friday evening, and the booking of Jamie Spencer is significant.
History (Aidan O’Brien/Seamie Heffernan)
Winner of her maiden at Gowran Park last September, she was impressive in winning the Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes at Leopardstown on her debut this season, coming from mid-division and staying on strongly to get up and beat Agartha by three parts of a length.
A daughter of Galileo, she could get further in time, she holds entries in The Oaks and in the Ribblesdale Stakes, but her dam won over six furlongs twice as a juvenile and she won Grade 2 races over six and a half furlongs and over a mile in America, and she is a sister to Sussex Stakes winner Mohaather, so a strongly-run mile could be History’s optimum, at least for now.
Homeless Songs (Dermot Weld/Chris Hayes)
She created a big impression when she won her maiden on her racecourse debut at Leopardstown last July, an impression that was enhanced by the subsequent exploits of runner-up Agartha.
Beaten in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and in the Killavullan Stakes at the end of last season, she got back on track with another impressive performance in winning the 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on her debut this season. A well-bred Moyglare Stud filly, a daughter of Frankel out of listed race winner Joailliere, she skipped Newmarket and Longchamp to go to The Curragh, and she is a big player.
Lady Of Inishfree (Noel Meade/Oisin Orr)
Fourth in the Listed Ingabelle Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown last September on just her second run, she got off the mark on her third and final run last season over seven furlongs at Naas in October. She could finish only sixth behind History in the Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes at Leopardstown on her debut this season, when she kept on well from the rear and, by Farhh and out of a mare who won over 10 and 12 furlongs, it may be that she will be seen to best effect when she steps up in trip.
Lullaby (Aidan O’Brien/Emmet McNamara)
Winless in four attempts as a juvenile last season, she kept on well to win her maiden on her debut this season over a mile at Leopardstown. She was well beaten by her stable companion History though in the Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes on her latest run and, although she was squeezed out of it inside the final furlong that day, she is going to have to do much better if she is going to be involved.
Mise En Scene (James Ferguson/Cieren Fallon)
Impressive in winning on her racecourse debut at Haydock last July, she looked good in winning the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood on her second run, keeping on well all the way to the line and probably winning with more in hand than the three-parts-of-a-length winning margin.
By Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Siyouni and out of a half-sister to 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa, she could only finish fourth behind Inspiral in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket in October, but she was well back in the field early on that day, she had to navigate her way through traffic, and she was strongest at the finish. She was beaten just a neck and a short head by the second and third, Prosperous Voyage and Cachet, who finished second and first in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket three weeks ago. You can easily allow her her run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf at Del Mar in November and, an 11th-hour scratching from the Newmarket Guineas, she goes to The Curragh with a big chance.
Panama Red (Ger Lyons/Colin Keane)
She beat History in winning her maiden at Tipperary last August, and she rounded off her season with an impressive performance to win the Listed Ingabelle Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champions’ Weekend, keeping on strongly to beat Limiti Di Greccio by a half a length.
She has been beaten in the two Leopardstown Guineas trials this season, but she didn’t have a lot of luck in-running in either, and it wouldn't be surprising to leave the form of those two runs well behind now. She could be flying a little under the radar.
Purplepay (William Haggas/Tom Marquand)
An easy winner of a valuable conditions race at Longchamp on Arc weekend last October when trained by Cedric Rossi, she rounded off her season with a fine run to finish third behind Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere first and third, Angel Bleu and Ancient Rome, in the Group 1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud at the end of October. Sold for €2 million at the Arqana December Sale, she has since joined William Haggas, and she is a fascinating contender.
Star Girls Aalmal (Henry de Bromhead/Billy Lee)
An impressive winner of her maiden at Dundalk in November, when she beat last weekend’s Sole Power Stakes winner Brostaigh into second place, she was impressive again on her debut this season in winning over seven furlongs at Gowran Park last month. A half-sister to Sandringham Stakes winner Create Belief, she is a really interesting Classic contender for Henry de Bromhead, and Billy Lee is a great booking.
Tuesday (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore)
Beaten just a short head by subsequent Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Discoveries on her only run at two, she was impressive in beating subsequent winner Ezine in a one-mile maiden at Naas on her debut this season, and she stepped forward from that last time with a fine run to finish third in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket last time.
She is immaculately bred, a daughter of Galileo out of Coronation Stakes and Matron Stakes winner Lillie Langtry, and therefore a full-sister to seven-time Group 1 winner Minding and to Irish 1000 Guineas winner Empress Josephine. She is a big player in the Irish Guineas and, a June foal, she is not yet three years old, so she should continue to improve as the season progresses.
Villanova Queen (Jessica Harrington/Shane Foley)
Winner of her maiden at Leopardstown last October on just her second run, she kept on well on the inside to take third place behind Homeless Songs and Agartha in the Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on her debut this season. She is obviously going to have to improve from that if she is going to reverse placings with those two rivals, but she is a progressive filly, and she is deserving of her place in the line-up.
Verdict:
1. MISE EN SCENE
2. Tuesday
3. Panama Red
What the trainers say
Dermot Weld is looking to win the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas for a fifth time with Homeless Songs.
The master trainer has won big races all around the world but the victory of Prince’s Polly in the 1982 version provided him with a first Irish Classic. He went on to claim the fillies’ race with Trusted Partner in 1988, Nightime in 2006 and Bethrah in 2010 – and Homeless Songs appears to have strong credentials to add to his list.
Having impressed in a trial in early April, she was strongly fancied for both the English and French versions, but both were swerved on account of fast ground Fiona Craig, bloodstock advisor for her owners Moyglare Stud, said: “She worked on Wednesday and worked nicely, so we’re looking forward to it.
“Her mother (Joailliere) didn’t go on firm ground, so we didn’t go to Newmarket and France wasn’t the right race either.
“It’ll be interesting. If you look at the pedigree, we’re hoping the Frankel influence will get her home over the mile. We won’t know if she gets the mile until we run over it it. I’d have no question about a mile around a turn, it’s just that Curragh is a long (straight) mile, but this is where we are and at least we’ve had a bit of rain. She doesn’t need soft ground, she just doesn’t want it like a road.
“It’s going to be a very good race, but all we can do is go and compete and see how we come out of it at the end.”
The Newmarket 1000 Guineas can sometimes be a good guide to the Irish version and with neither Cachet or Prosperous Voyage lining up, it is left to Aidan O’Brien’s Tuesday, third there, to uphold the form.
She was having just her third run having suffered a setback following her only outing at two and O’Brien expects her to continue to improve this season just like her sister, Minding. O’Brien also runs History, another strong contender as a Group Three winner, and Concert Hall, out of the Oaks winner, Was.
The Ballydoyle handler said of his contenders: “We were delighted with Tuesday at Newmarket, she ran a lovely race. She’s been in good form since then and we’ll just take it one step at a time with her (regarding the Oaks) but we were delighted with her at Newmarket and we thought that the Curragh would suit her.
“History has stepped up a little from last year and she won nicely last time. She hasn’t done a lot since then but she’s in good form. Concert Hall has been in good form since Navan. She won over a mile and a quarter there and is dropping back in trip, but we thought there was no harm in letting her take her chance. She could possibly be one for Epsom but it’s one race at a time.”
A very interesting contender is the William Haggas-trained Purplepay, who will be having her first outing for the Newmarket-based handler, who is the most in-form trainer on either side of the Irish Sea right now. Purplepay was last seen finishing third against the colts in the Criterium International for Cedric Rossi before being bought for €2million.
“It’s very much the plan for her to run and she looks pretty useful to me, so we’ll see how she goes – it’ll be very interesting,” said Haggas. “She doesn’t move like she wants soft ground, but she’s got lots of good form on soft ground.”
James Ferguson is another Newmarket handler making the journey with Mise En Scene, who had been aimed at Newmarket’s Guineas only to spike a temperature on the morning of the race.
“I’m really happy with her. It’s obviously a very competitive race for her first run of the season, but I think we’ve got her A1,” he said. "It was no secret that Newmarket was our primary target, but you can’t send a horse to the races, especially a Classic, unless they are 100 per cent. She did a nice swinger to open her lungs earlier this week and all being well, we’ll travel over and hopefully come back with a trophy.”
One of several lively outsiders is Henry de Bromhead’s Star Girls Aalmal, winner of two of her three outings to date. De Bromhead may be better known for winning Cheltenham Gold Cups and Grand Nationals, but he does well with his small Flat string.
“It might be an ambitious plan but we said we’d give it a go and see how we get on,” he said. “She seems in super form so we’re happy with her and we’ll find out plenty more on Sunday. She seems good on any surface so, touch wood, it will be nice ground and that will suit her.”
Joseph O’Brien’s Agartha, Fozzy Stack’s once-raced Hermana Estrella and Ger Lyons’ Panama Red are others among the 14-strong field.
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