John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Zambezi can work his Ffos Las Magic again
Welsh trainer Bernard Llewellyn is on course to have his most successful Flat campaign for several seasons, and he can register another win with Zambezi Magic in the opening contest at Ffos Las for amateur riders (13:55).
Zambezi Magic has become a course specialist since joining his current trainer, earning the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag with five course-and-distance victories, some of those coming in the very testing conditions which often prevail at the track, so he won’t mind the forecast soft going. Zambezi Magic was successful twice in both 2022 and 2024 and he is poised to land his second win this year having bolted up by almost ten lengths on heavy ground on his latest visit to Ffos Las earlier this month.
Since then, Zambezi Magic earned the 'Horse In Focus' flag and caught the eye under a penalty on his latest start at Bath when being left with too much to do in an apprentice race but finishing with running left under hands and heels to take fourth behind The Dark Baron. With the trainer’s granddaughter Jessica one of the more experienced riders in this field and top in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, Zambezi Magic has solid claims back at a track that clearly suits.
Alfie looks best of ‘Horses For Courses’ in Group 3 sprint
No fewer than seven of the eleven runners in the Renaissance Stakes at the Curragh (15:12) are course-and-distance winners and they include Tim Easterby’s Art Power, one of three British raiders, who is a four-time winner at the Curragh, including in this contest in both 2021 and 2022. However, he went backwards from his reappearance here last month when down the field in the Flying Five last time and others make more appeal this time.
Big Gossey is another eight-year-old and very much a Curragh regular and took the scalp of future Prix du Jockey Club winner Camille Pissarro with his latest course win which came over seven furlongs in the Gladness Stakes in March. He was also arguably better than ever last time when finishing second under 10-0 in the Bold Lad Sprint Handicap, a race he’d won twice before, at the Irish Champions Festival.
Big Gossey was also runner-up in this race last year and he may well have to settle for second once again behind another with the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag, My Mate Alfie. He won the Bold Lad last year before following up in this contest when beating Big Gossey by three quarters of a length. Also runner-up in a listed race (much better off at the weights with the winner Vespertilio here) and the Phoenix Sprint Stakes over course and distance this summer, My Mate Alfie wasn’t in the same form with a change of tactics in the Sprint Cup at Haydock last time but has strong claims at the head of the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings down in grade.
Another Apprentices’ Derby for Moore yard?
Apprentice jockeys get their chance to ride over the full Derby course in the Apprentices’ Derby Handicap at Epsom (15:30) which was won last season by Miller Spirit for the stable of Gary & Josh Moore. Gary Moore has an excellent record in this contest, also winning it in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2019. Hector Crouch was the successful claimer for two of Moore’s wins, while Oisin Murphy and Billy Loughnane are other former winning jockeys who have gone on to better things in the saddle.
The Moores, who have the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag, have a good chance of winning it again this year with Give It To Me Oj who is the mount of Ashley Lewis claiming 5 lb. Give It To Me Oj made into a useful juvenile hurdler in the spring, winning three of his last four starts over hurdles including a valuable handicap against older novices at Sandown on the final day of the season.
Given a five month break, Give It To Me Oj made his Flat reappearance in another ‘Derby’ at Epsom earlier this month, the Jump Jockeys version, which he won under his usual rider over hurdles Caoilin Quinn. Dictating a steady pace, Give It To Me Oj made all for a ready win from subsequent winner Saligo Bay. Top rated in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, he can follow up from a 7 lb higher mark.
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