Flat racing returns at the Curragh on Sunday and Andrew Asquith has a fancy in the Irish Lincoln.
Sunday View: Sunday March 15
1pt e.w. Orandi in the 16:20 Curragh at 9/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
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Turf Flat racing returns in Ireland at the Curragh – meaning it’s just around the corner in Britain, thank the lord – and it looks another competitive renewal of Nua Healthcare Irish Lincolnshire.
There’s just the one British-trained runner in this year’s renewal and that is Whip Cracker, trained by Richard Hughes.
He has plenty of solid form to his name, should handle heavy ground being by Cracksman, and the booking of Oisin Murphy (he has a 23% strike rate for Hughes) clearly catches the eye, so you can see why he’s prominent in the betting.
However, he has only one career win to his name, and that came in an all-weather minor event in 2023. He’s disappointed me on more than one occasion over the years, too, so I’d rather look elsewhere.
For me, it’s difficult to steer away from last year’s winner ORANDI, who also has an eye-catching jockey booking with Ryan Moore stepping up for the first time.
He had been shaping up well in the autumn prior to landing this prize 12 months ago, and proved better than ever that day, doing well considering his passage through was hardly a straightforward one, having to wait for a gap and then having to weave his way through rivals.
Orandi pulled clear with a now-smart sort, who went on to finish second in a listed event at Leopardstown and filled the same position in a valuable event in Saudi Arabia last month, so the form has a solid enough look to it.
Orandi went on to finish third under a penalty in the Lincoln at Doncaster 13 days later and he also finished placed in a competitive handicap at the Galway Festival last summer, while he was far from disgraced when beaten just four lengths in the Balmoral at Ascot two starts ago.
He turned in a rare poor effort when last seen over this course and distance in November, but he might have had enough for the year by then, so it wouldn’t be wise to judge him too much on that display.
Orandi returns on a mark of 94, just 6lb higher than last year, but his exploits off higher marks afterwards suggest he’s still weighted to be competitive. He’s back from a similar lay-off as last time around, and the booking of Moore suggests that he’s ready to rock and roll. Tony Martin hasn’t had many runners of late, but he’s a shrewd operator, and in ground which shouldn’t be a problem, he looks a solid bet at a track where he has a good record (form figures: 1310).
Preview posted at 1518 GMT on 14/03/26
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