Aidan O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk will be a strong favourite to supplement last month’s Epsom Oaks win in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh on Saturday.
On a strong supporting card, the Scurry Premier Handicap over 6.5f has attracted a field of 16 and three additional Group races provide plenty more high-class entertainment.
Our expert has a trio of selections on the card including one in the feature race, one in the opener, and another in the 6f nursery on the card.
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Saturday horse racing tips
- 13.30 Curragh – Seoul Force @ SP
- 15.40 Curragh – Minnie Hauk @ 1/5
- 16.50 Curragh – Extravagant @ SP
13.30 Curragh – Seoul Force @ SP
The opening 7f maiden for two-year-old colts and geldings generally takes plenty of winning and this edition looks likely to throw up its share of future winners, a field of 15 going to post and a host of big yards represented.
Experience can be key in such races and that bodes well to the chances of the Jessica Harrington-trained Seoul Force, who showed a good amount of ability when third on his debut at Gowran Park last month.
A €200,000 son of Wootton Bassett, he was sent-off favourite on his introduction on soft ground and performed with plenty of credit, albeit never looking likely to justify the market support.
He was judged to have run to a Racing Post Rating of 86, a figure that would win a high percentage of races at this level, and he’s entitled to have learnt a good bit from that. Any amount of improvement should give him the edge.
Aidan O’Brien, who has won the last three runnings of this race, is triple-handed, New Zealand, who showed promise on his debut over course-and-distance last month, the choice of stable jockey, Ryan Moore.
15.40 Curragh – Minnie Hauk @ 1/5
Aidan O’Brien’s Minnie Hauk was forced to battle for her win in the Epsom Oaks, gradually accounting for her equally tough stablemate, Whirl, but she had Wemightakedlongway a fair way behind her and should confirm her superiority over that filly.
In a race lacking any strength-in-depth, both the selection and Joseph O’Brien’s Wemightakedlongway are well ahead of their five rivals on ratings and that pair can be expected to fight out the finish.
The latter did beat Minnie Hauk in a Cork maiden last October, but that was over a mile and it’s difficult to see the Epsom form being turned around, a line through Whirl at Chester in May strengthening that opinion.
Johnny Murtagh’s lightly-raced Subsonic has been nibbled in the market at big odds and she looks the best of outsiders, having gone close to beating Minnie Hauk in a soft-ground Leopardstown maiden last autumn. However, she was nowhere near that level on her seasonal reappearance and she’s got something to prove in an added tongue-tie.
16.50 Curragh – Extravagant @ SP
The handicapper looks to have given a chance to Aidan O’Brien’s Extravagant, the €300,000 son of Wootton Bassett, who looked a potentially smart recruit when second on his debut over course-and-distance in April, handed an opening mark of 83.
Green and taking time to pick up on his introduction, he suddenly grabbed hold of the bridle entering the final furlong and got up for an unlikely second, finishing three-lengths adrift of Joseph O’Brien’s Green Sense, who franked the form in Group 3 company afterwards.
A half-brother to Group 1 scorer Cloth Of Stars, Extravagant was a shade disappointing upped to 7f at Fairyhouse last month, but he still looked in need of experience and may not have been suited by the additional furlong.
He’s back in trip today and Ryan Moore, who was aboard on debut, is reunited with him.
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