Curragh Saturday review and replays: Art Power wins again

Dickinson back to winning ways

Emily Dickinson kicked in the turbo to get back on the winning trail in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup.

The daughter of Dubawi was the spring favourite for the Gold Cup following an impressive start to her campaign in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan – and while a disappointing run in the Saval Beg dented her claims, she bounced back to finish a creditable fourth in last month’s Royal Ascot showpiece.

Dropping in distance and class for this one-mile-six-furlong Group Two, Emily Dickinson was the 6/4 market leader to complete a quick-fire big-race double for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore after Savethelastdance powered home from an unpromising position to secure the Irish Oaks.

Emily Dickinson looked like she too could have a real fight on her hands when her chief market rival Rosscarbery breezed into contention, but Moore kept pushing on the favourite and in the end she was well on top, passing the post with three lengths in hand.

The winner will now be readied for a tilt at the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on August 1.

“The original plan was that she would go straight to Goodwood for the two-mile Group One, but when the ground changed we said we’d let her take her chance here,” said O’Brien.

“Everyone was happy with her at home and that’s why she came here. I was a bit worried that she was a couple of pieces of work away but Ryan gave her a beautiful ride and got her very confident.

“She loves the ground and loves being ridden like that. With that ease in the ground she’s a different filly. She goes on the other ground, she’s very genuine and tries very hard, but on that ground she grows another leg. The plan was to go to Goodwood, over two miles, and if the ground came up with an ease in it she’ll be right there.”

Four from four for Power

Art Power claimed a fourth win from as many visits to the Curragh with a dominant display in the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes.

Tim Easterby’s rapid grey won the Group Three Renaissance Stakes in both 2021 and 2022 and made it a hat-trick at the home of Irish Flat racing in the Group Two Greenlands Stakes in May.

Four from four in Ireland overall having also won the Lacken Stakes at Naas three years ago, Tim Easterby’s six-year-old was the 6/5 favourite for his latest assignment, turning out just seven days after finishing fourth in the July Cup at Newmarket.

Any concerns about the quick turnaround were soon quashed as Art Power travelled with zest on the front end throughout before powering four and a quarter lengths clear once asked to extend by David Allan. Go Athletico narrowly beat Moss Tucker to the runner-up spot.

“He’s been awesome and he loves coming to Ireland for some reason, nobody knows why but he seems to come to life here,” Allan said of the winner.

“Bringing him back to five we thought might be an issue, but I’ve always been confident five is going to be okay for him, especially if the ground is soft. “It went right up his street today and it all worked out perfect. I was confident enough but a little unsure about coming back to five furlongs. The way he was powering up that hill I thought ‘they can’t go that fast to catch me’, especially in that ground – he was powering away.”

On the possibility of coming back to the Curragh later in the year, the jockey added: “I’d imagine he’ll have to won’t he, any race we can find we’ll run him in! You don’t have to do anything fancy on him, you can just bounce out and let him run his race. He’s ran well in some Group Ones in England but he’s just not got to it yet. I think if he gets proper soft ground it might just happen one day.”

Exciting start from regally-bred Henry Longfellow

The regally-bred Henry Longfellow is 20/1 for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Betfred Derby after making a winning debut at the Curragh on Saturday.

A son of Dubawi out of seven-time Group One-winning mare Minding, the latter trained like Henry Longfellow by Aidan O’Brien, he went off the 5/4 favourite for the Juddmonte Irish European Breeders Fund and travelled powerfully throughout under Ryan Moore.

Mythology, a creditable fifth in the Group Two Railway Stakes, did his best to get on terms, but Henry Longfollow was well on top as he passed the post with a length and three-quarters in hand.

Sky Bet were most impressed and are 20/1 for the Classics with Betfair and Paddy Power 25/1.

“I’m delighted with him. He’s a Dubawi out of Minding and he looks like a lovely horse,” said O’Brien. “She handled that ground and he does bend his knee a bit but he quickens. You’d have to be very happy with him. Ryan said it was very easy and he said he didn’t touch him with the stick, he was very happy with him. He had been working well, he just came on the scene lately. For the last three weeks, week after week he was working well. He’s an exciting type of horse.”

York next for Kairyu

A trip to York could be next on the agenda for Kairyu after she kept her unbeaten record intact in the Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh. A clear-cut winner on her racecourse debut at Naas last month, Michael O’Callaghan’s filly was a 4/1 shot for this six-and-a-half-furlong Group Three under Colin Keane.

Pearls And Rubies, the 10/11 favourite after being beaten a head by Snellen in the Chesham at Royal Ascot last month, was under pressure some way from home – and while she responded to Moore’s urgings to get into second place, Kairyu had a length and a quarter in hand at the line.

O’Callaghan said: “She looks very smart. Colin said she doesn’t want that ground, it was plenty soft, and she was just good and tough. He said she has a savage turn of foot where she can go and put a race to bed. He said the gaps sort of appeared a little bit before he wanted them.

“She’s a lovely filly. I was thinking about going to the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket last week but I just wasn’t 100 per cent happy with her work so we just waited another week.

“Colin thinks she’ll be better on better ground and she’ll probably go for something like the Lowther (at York) now. She’s still a little bit high behind and she’s going to grow plenty so she could potentially be a very nice filly.”

Fahey Strikes in big handicap

British raider Strike Red (7/1) claimed the lion’s share of €100,000 with victory in the Paddy Power Scurry Handicap.

Richard Fahey’s charge was half a length too strong for 9/2 favourite for Aussie Girl, after which jockey Billy Garritty said: “He’s been a good horse to me and a good horse to the yard. He keeps picking up these premier handicaps and I’m absolutely delighted. I was confident, the guv’nor said ‘you’ve got a good draw so just keep down the stand’s side’.”

When asked how he found riding at the Curragh, he added: “It’s not really (different), you are still racing around a field! It’s my first time to Ireland, it’s a good track and they have brilliant facilities.”

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