Timeform provide an overview of the key things to note on Sunday.
Renaissance for Power Blue as a sprinter?
Amo Racing’s colt Power Blue enjoyed his career highlight when beating True Love in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh last summer and he returns to the same course and distance for the first time since in Sunday’s Renaissance Stakes (14:35).
As a Group 1 winner at two, he had earned the right to be campaigned by Robson de Aguiar at a high level this season but he found races like the 2000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes a bit too hot, though he did finish fourth in the last two contests. A mile looked to be further than ideal for him too, so everything came together for him when he was dropped back to seven furlongs and down to Group 2 company for the Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh in July when beating course specialist Big Gossey by a length and a half.
Power Blue was too highly tried again in the City of York Stakes last time, but he should find this company much less taxing dropping back in grade again. He meets Curragh legend Big Gossey on worse terms than he did in the Minstrel but is back sprinting now and, with the ‘Horses For Courses’ flag, this looks a good opportunity for him to record a fourth course win of his own.
Large P filly Curracloe steps up to Group 3
Johnny Murtagh’s yard is flying at the moment, having the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag, and having landed a valuable Grade 2 prize at Kentucky Downs earlier in the month with Take Charge Star, he has good chances of a Group 3 win closer to home with Curracloe in the Darley Fillies Stakes at the Curragh (14:45), a contest better known previously as the Weld Park Stakes.
The one who sets the standard is recent Cork maiden winner Alpine Wedding for last year’s successful trainer Paddy Twomey, but it took her five runs to get her head in front and she shapes as though a mile will suit her best so she looks vulnerable to a potential improver kept to seven furlongs. Curracloe looks the ideal candidate, therefore, as she made a very good impression when making a successful debut at Gowran at the start of the month.
Remarkably, Curracloe was her stable’s first two-year-old to win first time out since 2002, suggesting there will be plenty of improvement in her, hence the ‘large P’ on her rating as well as the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. Also a first runner in Ireland for her sire Baaeed, Curracloe, bought by Qatar Racing for 240,000 guineas as a yearling, stayed on strongly to beat the Ballydoyle filly Snowing – third in a listed race next time – by two lengths.
The Reverend can see off O'Brien army
The thirty-runner Irish Cesarewitch (16:20) will take some sorting out, though Joseph O’Brien is swinging the odds heavily in his favour of scooping up at least some of the €500,000 of total prize money on offer by fielding no fewer than 14 of the runners. They include last year’s winner Puturhandstogether who was one of ‘only’ eight from his yard when beating Chally Chute, this year’s topweight, twelve months ago. Joey Sheridan’s mount Sky Captain might be the pick of the O’Brien battalions this year, but this is hugely competitive and Willie Mullins, who has four runners himself, looks the man to beat.
Mullins won this race three times between 2015 and 2019 and while his quartet includes former Ebor winner Absurde, his form over hurdles since his last Flat start in the Melbourne Cup suggests The Reverend is very much the stable’s best hope. He won the Old Borough Cup at Haydock just over a year ago on his final start for William Haggas (represented himself here by Valiancy) before switching to Mullins for a hurdles campaign. While he made a successful start in that sphere at Cork, he then clipped heels and unseated at the Dublin Racing Festival.
The Reverend wasn’t seen again until an eye-catching first Flat start for Mullins back at Leopardstown at the Irish Champions Festival earlier this month. He ran a tremendous race under top weight in the Petingo Handicap, still having plenty to do two furlongs out before finishing well to be beaten only a length into fourth behind Immutable, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. Heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, he is unexposed as a stayer and looks set for a big run.
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