Thunder Forecast At The Curragh

Aidan O’Brien probably holds more records of note than anyone else in the sport and on Saturday he’ll bid to enhance his record for most wins in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

Barring biblical intervention, he will enhance his record but can we sniff out some value in the race?

Thundery Day At The Curragh
Churchill doesn’t need anyone to cover his back at the Curragh on Saturday. He can go about his own business and do the Guineas double, but just for good measure O’Brien also has Lancaster Bomber and Spirit Of Valor.

Many feel that Lancaster Bomber can be the one to follow home the odds-on favourite again and he is an 8/1 chance for the race, while Mick Halford’s unbeaten colt Irishcorrespondent is 7/1 second favourite.

Personally, the one for the ‘betting without Churchill’ market or the forecast is Thunder Snow. Saeed bin Suroor hasn’t been back for the Irish 2000 Guineas since winning the race with Dubawi but after Thunder Snow didn’t fancy the sloppy track at the Kentucky Derby, this became his plan and being a UAE Derby and UAE Guineas winner he won’t have any issue with the stiff mile at the Curragh. He could represent some value as a Group One winning juvenile last season.

It’s a wide open race behind the favourite, but a race where we sit back and enjoy his superiority and look forward to more of the same over a mile and probably 10-furlongs later in the year. From a betting point of view you can either double Churchill with Winter on Sunday to enhance her price, or…

do the forecast with Thunder Snow and take a chance on the English raider proving best of the rest.

Jewel Could Give Them A Rattle
Acapulco should be another one for the Ballydoyle team in the Greenlands but the six-furlong handicap is a much more competitive looking race and…

Rattling Jewel is a horse that could be ready to defy his odds.

The five-year-old was a winner at the Curragh over six-furlongs last season for trainer Nicole McKenna and factoring in Killian Leonard’s 5lbs claim Rattling Jewel will actually be running off a lower mark on this occasion and 20/1 about him looks too big if he gets a bit of luck in running.

In these sprint handicaps at the Curragh you’ll need a bit of luck but with the likes of Sors, G Force and Captain Power possibly better over 5f and St Brelades Bay looking like a horse who might go 7f, the lightly weighted Rattling Jewel will hopefully be able to land a blow with just 7st13lbs on his back.

The Master Of Rosewell To Strike on Guineas Day
Dermot Weld has had his slowest start to a season for a few years now but the cloud that seemed to be delaying his charge of winners looks to have passed and…

the master of Rosewell House is getting back in the groove.

In Saturday’s finale he runs the unexposed Aydoun, who has only had three career starts but the four-year-old was a winner first time out at Listowel last autumn before being thought highly enough of to go to Ascot for a listed race where things didn’t go according to plan.

Earlier in the month he returned to Killarney and finished second behind Supreme Vinnie over an extended two miles and dropping back to a mile and a half at the Curragh will hopefully pay dividends and prove that the son of Mastercraftsman is a couple of steps ahead of the handicapper.

Recommended Bets:
Rattling Jewel (12/1) – 2.25 Curragh
Churchill/Thunder Snow Forecast – 4.10 Curragh
Aydoun (7/1) – 5.15 Curragh

*Prices correct at time of publication.