Tony Keenan is back with a look ahead to today's Cork card and he's taking on the market leaders in a listed contest.
Irish racing tips: Sunday June 14
1 pt win Erosandpsyche in the Cork 15:38 (12/1 General)
June has been a bad month for Sunday racing in Ireland during the last few years, the cards poor or the day left entirely blank, but Horse Racing Ireland have done a better job in 2026, a decent meeting at Navan last weekend followed by strong card at Cork today.
The ground at Mallow should be on the faster side, currently given as good and with temperatures in the low twenties forecast, the tracking doing some selective watering yesterday.
The Mallow Handicap at 14:37 is a terrific premier handicap, plenty of the runners following on from the Habitat at the Curragh on Irish 2,000 Guineas Day. The first three from that race all have their chances though did have a draw bias in their favour then, with Aviatrice perhaps the one to come out on top this time with the furlong longer trip sure to suit and she now has a run under her belt.
There were plenty of hard luck stories away from the favoured rail that day, however, with City House being the most obvious though that misfortune is already captured in his price. His stablemate Go Athletico and Indigo Dream didn’t get clear runs either, while Bint Majestic Roi is a progressive type that should be suited by a step up in trip. All in all, there are too many with chances.
The most valuable race on the card is the Group 3 Darley Munster Oaks Stakes (16:38) where Sparan Nua, one of the bright new things in Irish racing, has good claims, her maiden form boosted during the week.
She does face a few notable opponents, not least Perfect Your Craft. She was in the right place near a steady pace when making her debut for Paddy Twomey last time but there are reasons she can improve on that now.
A step up to 12 furlongs looks in her favour while Twomey’s runners have been improving a lot for a run in 2026, and he does well with the first-time cheekpieces, seven winners from 18 runners, not afraid to use them on good types like Pearls Galore, One Look and Moody. Her price looks about right now, however.
The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Midsummer Sprint Stakes (15:38) is tightly knit, and some of the market leaders may not be as good as they have looked recently because their good runs came in draw-influenced races. I am not sure I trust their new marks.
Fregada and Eclairage look a little overpriced, but EROSANDPSYCHE might be the pick of the prices. He ran his best race of the season last Sunday at Navan after a few runs under less-than-ideal conditions, drawn away from the main action but showing his usual pace on ground that may have been softer than described.
That showed he is well able to run to his mark, enough to put him in the mix here, but he has been even better in the past and the return to a flatter track might bring more improvement.
His record over the flat five furlongs in Ireland, i.e. Cork or the now out of use Tipperary, reads:1316112232, the only poor run coming on slow ground. Most of those runs came with Paddy Twomey, but he made the frame for this yard in a pair of Listed races last season and now gets what seem his ideal conditions.
The opening maiden should be informative for future races, plenty of the runners with good entries, while the last, the Racing Again Friday 10th July Handicap at 17:23, is an interesting race.
Cisterna should be much better suited by this trip than the sprint race he ran in last time, while No More Hiding caught the eye last time at Leopardstown, staying on from an unpromising position under tender handling.
Preview published at 08:33 BST on 14/06/26
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