Curragh tips for today: Best bets on the Flat in Ireland

By Tony Keenan

Horse Racing

Sun April 19, 2026 · 2h ago

Tony Keenan looks ahead to today's action from the Curragh and he's got an each-way selection at a chunky price in mind.

Irish racing tips: Sunday April 19

0.5pts e.w. Real Force in 16:45 the Curragh at 25/1 (bet365 1/5 1,2,3,4,5) - 22/1 General

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The Curragh hosts perhaps the classiest race of this young Irish flat season, the Group 3 Tote Guarantee, Never Beaten by SP Alleged Stakes at 15:35 today, where four of the field are rated 110 or more though it is not easy to find a bet among them.

Royal Rhyme comes out best of all on 114 and has an excellent record on ground slower than good, his form figures reading:11115133, and many of those runs have come in stronger races than this. The concern is that he has been off 11 months, though the desire to travel might suggest a degree of readiness.

Twain has been off even longer and looked an excellent prospect when going from a maiden to Group 1 winner in eight days at the backend of his juvenile season, though this is a starting point for him as it might be for Green Energy and Trustyourinstinct.

Twain - come a long way in short space of time

Twain makes his comeback

There are four in the field that have run already this year, but I am not sure any is good enough, so this is a race to pass over.

The sprint handicap won by Staysound Susie at this track on Good Friday looks strong form, the second and fifth both having won since, while a few from down the field have also run well subsequently.

Bint Majestic Roi is an obvious representative from the form line in the 15:00, though that has been well captured in the market, while Likedbymike is another in the 13:50, the SIS Supporting Irish Racing Handicap.

He has done a fair bit of racing over six furlongs in the last while for one that looks fast and caught the eye last time with a view to coming back in trip. That was his first run in 152 days, and he made good move from halfway to hit the front inside the final furlong before fading late.

Perhaps he is a horse that will need an easy five furlongs on decent ground to win, but the ground will be better there than it was last time, and he seemed to settle well then when they took all the headgear off which is the same today.

Red Charlie was one of the most impressive handicap winners of the season thus far when winning over course and distance last time and he should again go well in the 1xBet.ie Supports Safe Gambling Handicap at 16:45.

At the prices, REAL FORCE is worth an each-way bet. He is pushing on now, but showed up well in a better race than this on the opening day of the season at this track, racing on his own towards the far side and making a big move from the three to the one furlong point, both the visuals and the sectionals saying that was the hot part of the race.

He understandably flattened out late, but it suggested he is in form, and that race has worked out pretty well since. He is not the horse he was, but that reality is reflected in a dropping mark and he is down in grade here while his yard has been among the winners in the early part of the season.

Most of his recent form is over sprint trips but he has plenty of form over this distance as a younger horse.

Published at 20:52 BST on 19/04/26

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