Our columnist with her take on Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas day where Precise roared back to centre stage.
“You look scalded, so you do.”
The level of sunburnt achieved by the silly British journalist is a major talking point on the second day of Irish Guineas Festival, but I’m embraced by Irish warmth and hospitality and accumulate sun creams of varying factors on my desk.
“At the Curragh, of all places,” muses a security guard. “Do you want some suncream?”
Sun Goddess wins the first, rubbing salt in the proverbial wound.
The ‘new Curragh’ has been controversial, to say the least. The redevelopment was subject to a significant overspend and Horse Racing Ireland were forced to defend the use of public funds at a Committee of Public Accounts hearing in 2022. Attendance figures suggest it hasn’t been embraced wholeheartedly by the Irish, but it’s difficult to explain the rationale.
There are issues, of course there are. The bookmakers are grouped into an odd, inward facing square like an illicit boxing ring, the hedge surrounding the pre-parade ring is too high for the vertically challenged and the stand makes a peculiar noise in the wind, offering no shelter from the rain – not that it’s a concern this weekend, with a heatwave hitting both sides of the Irish Sea.
But the parade ring is truly the beating heart of the racecourse, with bars and coffee shops set around the full circumference, encouraging both the social visitor and die-hard fans to catch a glimpse of the sport’s stars.
There’s been a vague murmuring that reducing crowd numbers could improve racegoer attendance at major festivals in recent months and the Curragh exemplifies the idea. The numbers may not match up to Newmarket’s 18,000 attendance figures, but there is an unadulterated delight in fans being able to watch the horses in the paddock, place a bet on-course and still find a place at the rail to witness the race live.
And what an Irish 1000 Guineas to watch.
There had been Irish whispers around the track that Precise was the filly to follow in the Guineas, and Ryan Moore switching to 1000 Guineas heroine True Love had done little to abate the mutterings.
“She’ll win, you know, that Precise. Come on a bundle since Newmarket, says my man at the yard,” I’m told at the pre-parade ring. “Ah look it, you’ve caught the sun.”
He’s right on both counts. Precise has tightened up considerably since Newmarket, like the woman in the cornflake adverts, when Kelloggs was considered a sure-fire weight loss option instead of Ozempic. I confidently predict an Aidan O’Brien one-two - in the wrong order.
True Love comes to win her race from Abashiri and is caught by a flying Precise on the outside, who storms home for Wayne Lordan – a Guineas double for Ballydoyle’s ‘second’ jockey.
“It’s very special as she’s a homebred mare,” says Aidan. “We knew there was plenty of improvement to come from Newmarket.”
We could see Precise again in only 12 days, with the filly set to return quickly for the Oaks at Epsom.
“There’s a good chance that she could [go to the Oaks],” he adds.
“We were saying how much stamina is in the pedigree. She’s out of a really good, genuine Galileo mare but the lads will make the decision. We’ll see how she comes out of the race and give our opinion, then they’ll decide.”
With two more handicaps under the paddock note belt, it’s time to head to the airport, but I’ll be back.
The Curragh is True Love, for me.
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