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Make A Splash On A Regal Weekend At The Curragh

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Greetings from Ireland and a very wet Curragh, the night before a massive weekend at the County Kildare track, one which fingers crossed will result in more than one notable victory for foreign visitors, with one headline scalp already in the bag.

You’re absolutely right, the first of the UK’s major equine interests Midday doesn’t run ’til Saturday afternoon, but the English win I allude to came courtesy of my four year old godson Travis, who rewarded punters who supported him at big prices earlier in the day by positively bolting up in the listed bucket and spade race in his school sports day in Dublin on Friday morning.

Adhering to a strict and disciplined dietary regime like any gifted athlete should, the celebrating infant retired to Roly’s Bistro in Ballsbridge, triumphantly wolfing down a packet of repulsive looking sweets, a salmon sandwich and a glass of apple juice.

A performance such as that should surely have the Olympic selection committee of his newly adopted nation on tenterhooks…..

Emboldened by that British success on Irish soil it’s off to the Curragh on Saturday afternoon, and it should be a case of more of the same, with Sir Henry Cecil’s aforementioned Midday a nap bet to get the better of fellow tourist Snow Fairy and land the Group 1 Stobart Ireland Pretty Polly Stakes (live on RTE2, 3.35pm).

Bookmakers look spot on in making her an odds on shot across the board, with the even money available earlier in the week long hoovered up by sharp-eyed value seekers.

Coral bet a standout 8/11, and that’s a price that looks well worth sticking in multiples with other fancies across the weekend.

Why so confident when she’s up against a very high class filly in the shape of Snow Fairy?

That’s not hard to answer: Tom Queally’s mount is a five times a Group 1 winner who looks absolutely at the peak of her powers; two runs this season have seen her win York’s Middleton Stakes with a bit to spare, and then go down to St Nicholas Abbey, all guns blazing, in the Coronation Stakes.

She has a clear edge on fitness over a chief market rival who is returning from seven months off the track, connections couldn’t be more confident, and Timeform have her several pounds clear.

The falling rain won’t blunt her chances one little bit, she has far too much class for that, and crucially Snow Fairy has a whopping three lengths to make up on their meeting in the Yorkshire Oaks.

At level weights that’s a problem, especially in light of the fact Snow Fairy was getting 10 pounds and a sound beating from Midday at York.

A year older and stronger than her adversary, and almost certainly the fitter horse for this big occasion, this looks Midday’s race for the taking, and a sixth top level success beckons.

I’ll be sure to get some flack from the locals for tipping up more than one English-trained horse on Irish Derby weekend, especially with the Carlton House show still to roll into town on Sunday, but I also think the Group 3 Curragh Cup will be heading east at just after 4.10pm.

The field of eight has an intriguing make-up, with viable cases to be made for Address Unknown, Nebula Storm, Admiral Of The Red and my selection Times Up.

Address Unknown went off joint favourite for the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial less than 14 months ago, Nebula Storm got to within half a length of subsequent Gold Cup winner Fame And Glory in the Vintage Crop Stakes, and Admiral Of The Red is the only three year old in the field, hails from a top stable, and gets lumps of weight from everything.

He could be anything, but it’s fascinating to see Aidan O’Brien pitch him in so deep, so early.

He’ll have to be good to beat the red hot Times Up though, with John Dunlop sending the five year old to Ireland in search of his seventh career win.

Something of a late bloomer, Times Up signed off last season with a cracking win in the November handicap, and has carried on his upward trajectory in 2011, winning a competitive Newmarket handicap off 102 on Guineas weekend, before stepping up in class and trip to win a listed race at York with something to spare.

The further he goes the better he looks, and the step up to Group 3 company over a mile and six furlongs should be taken in his stride.

Providing the ground doesn’t worsen significantly from the current Good to Yielding he can make it a quick fire double for Tom Queally.

The early pice of 9/4 with Boylesports seems reasonable.

Back at home the Channel 4 cameras will be garrisoned up at Newcastle, and my confident prediction is they’ll be beaming pictures of Regal Parade doing the business in the Chipchase Stakes onto the nation’s television screens (2.00pm).

Miles clear on ratings, Dandy Nicholls’ seven year old will love the rain which has arrived at Gosforth Park, and can gain his first win since bagging Deauville’s Prix Maurice De Gheest last August.

Consistently campaigned at a very high level, he looks as good as ever this season, finishing second to Godolphin’s Delegator in the Duke Of York Stakes last month.

The 6/4 with Coral looks very likely to pay dividends.

Incidentally, the Chipchase also features the return of now six year old Winker Watson, a horse you may remember winning the July Stakes in his juvenile campaign when with Peter Chapple-Hyam.

Off the track for 728 days he’s now with Mick Channon, but I love seeing horses make it back from a long layoff, and all being well he’ll acquit himself respectably in the hands of Aussie pilot Hugh Bowman. Good luck to him.

The feature at Newcastle is one of the great staying handicaps, run over a smidgin more than two miles it’s the John Smith’s Northumberland Plate (3.05pm), and a while a few regular readers will shake their heads and dismiss this as a daft loyalty bet, I’m ever the optimist and prepared to invest some hard earned readies in top weight Overturn.

The winner of this race 12 months from a draw which meant he nearly had to start in Scotland, he comes here bang in form and fully revved up to try and become the first back-to-back winner of this contest for 33 years.

In 2011 he has a far better draw in stall two, but instead faces question marks over the ground, his ability to lump top weight, and with Eddie Ahern suspended his inexperienced stand-in jockey Henry Brooke.

Dealing with those in reverse order Brooke doesn’t worry me one iota; if Donald McCain says he’s good enough, he’s good enough, end of story. Especially when he comes accompanied by a five pound claim!

That will help ease the burden of top weight – he won this off 93 a year ago and is now rated 106, but he won the Chester Cup so easily he looks to be getting better, and it’ll take a good one to pass him.

As for the ground, as with Royal Ascot his astute trainer will take him out if it’s too soft, so expect a bold show if he lines up, and remember you’ll get your cash back if he doesn’t.

I’d like to see them send him to Australia and try and win the Melbourne Cup in time, but a second Northumberland Plate would looks nice on the mantelpiece too!

I’m not overly taken with any of the opposition – Michael Bell won this race in 2007 with Juniper Girl, but he now relies solely on Activate with Tactician a non runner, while David Wachman has left Mount Athos in the field due to concerns about the ground.

Of the Mark Johnston entries I would’ve been mighty concerned about Royal Ascot winner Fox Hunt, but the Middleham trainer instead relies on English Summer and Nave, and at 6/1 with Paddy Power or William Hill I’m perfectly content to row in each way with Overturn.

Good luck!

Saturday’s best bets:

2.00 Newcastle – totesport.com Chipchase Stakes – 5 Regal Parade (win) @ 6/4 (Coral)

3.05 Newcastle – John Smith’s Northumberland Plate (Handicap) – 1 Overturn (each way) @ 6/1 (Paddy Power or William Hill)

3.35 Curragh – Stobart Ireland Pretty Polly Stakes – 2 Midday (win) @ 8/11 (Coral)

4.10 Curragh – At The Races Curragh Cup – 5 Times Up (win) @ 9/4 (Boylesports)

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