Shakespeare, ridden by Ryan Moore

Churchill Tyres Beresford Stakes at the Curragh: What might we learn?

Horse Racing

Fri September 25, 2026 · 19h ago

Ian Ogg looks ahead to Saturday's Group 2 Churchill Tyres Beresford Stakes at the Curragh.

Future Champions?

You'd never have guessed it but Aidan O'Brien has saddled seven of the last 10 winners of this mile contest for juveniles although only one of those has come in the last four years.

Saxon Warrior, Innisfree, Luxembourg and Hawk Mountain went on to contest the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Doncaster finishing first, second, first and first. Capri stepped up to 10 furlongs for the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, finishing third behind subsequent Arc winner Waldgeist, while Japan and High Definition didn't race until the following season.

Crypto Force changed hands and went backwards. Deepone ran once at three and hasn't been seen since winning a listed race in October 2025 but Hotazhell's heroics will be fresh in your memory after returning to form in style this season, becoming the second Beresford winner in this period to win the Irish Champion Stakes. Last behind him in 2024 was the 2025 Epsom Derby winner Lambourn who was sent off at 7/1 in first time blinkers.

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Ballydoyle again?

Which brings us to Shakespeare.

The imposing colt is learning on the job. He caught the eye on debut, looked green as grass when not appearing to enjoy racing at Leopardstown but was better at the Curragh third time out. Returned to Leopardstown for the Irish Champions Festival, he barely went a yard albeit when faced with a steep step up in grade.

He wasn't without friends in the market the last day; the return to the Curragh could well be a positive and the same is true of the cheekpieces who may help him travel better under Colin Keane who rides for the first time.

Current favourite Noble Exhibit was third behind the impressive Monogram on debut before opening his account by seven lengths at Punchestown. A similar performance would obviously mark him down as an exciting prospect as well as advancing the reputation of Monogram who was Group 1 placed at the Irish Champions Festival.

Drumbeat is the third of the Ballydoyle runners and has his work cut out to better his better fancied stablemate on a line through Francillon but he, like his stablemates, holds an entry in the Futurity Stakes and should appreciate stepping back up to a mile.

Joseph O'Brien runs Tommy Quick and Venetian Power.

Tommy Quick was 50/1 and green on debut. He showed ability and is another with a Doncaster entry but would obviously have to take a big stride forwards. Venetian Power has achieved more although doesn't hold the big race entry and Joey Sheridan, assuming he had the choice, has opted for his stablemate.

Last of the sextet is City Of Dubai whose trainer and jockey won this in 2023. Ahead of Venetian Power - who didn't enjoy a clear passage - but behind Ballydoyle's Sergei Diaghilev in a Listed race at Gowran, he didn't appear to appreciate dropping back to seven furlongs for the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh, won by the impressive Giant Sequoia. The four in front of him all stepped up to Group 1 company for their next starts with varying degrees of success, none won which puts a dampener on his form claims.

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Trainer in form

Aidan O'Brien's well publicised problems with his string are hard to quantify with some running up to expectations and others a long way below. The 'low-grade infection' clearly isn't easy to pick up. He's saddled just five winners from 52 runners in the last fortnight (before racing on Friday) and has gone six days and six runners without a winner although only one of those was sent off as favourite and a couple were outsiders.

The market may prove the best guide to his trio and given the names on the roll of honour, if one of them wins and wins well then the likelihood is he's a Group 1 horse in the making but as Lambourn proved, it would be folly to dismiss the others out of hand.

Tommy Quick looks the most interesting of the remainder with the scope to step up considerably from debut. Venetian Power and City Of Dubai are more exposed but a good showing would advertise the form of Sergei Diaghilev and, in turn, that of current 2000 Guineas favourite Desert Castle who accounted for the O'Brien runner in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and it's possible that the Beresford Stakes may well tell us more about those that aren't here rather than those that are.

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