Aidan O’Brien’s 40th Irish Classic Win On The Cards

Aidan O’Brien is a short priced favourite to win the Irish Oaks and equal Sir Michael Stoute’s record of six wins in the race at the Curragh on Saturday.

The champion trainer is also on the verge of a 40th Irish Classic and we reported on Friday evening that Magic Wand was all the rage for the Curragh contest. But is Ryan Moore on the wrong Ballydoyle runner?

Father and son Together again

Donnacha O’Brien started the season with a bang winning the English 2,000 Guineas on Saxon Warrior and followed that up by landing the Epsom Oaks on Forever Together.

Himself and brother Joseph nailed their father Aidan with Latrobe in the Irish Derby but Donnacha will now try and land a first Irish Classic in partnership with his father as he is reunited with Forever Together and the Epsom heroine is picked to go in again.

Beaten in the Pretty Polly by Urban Fox isn’t an ideal form line to bring into the race but back up to a mile and a half on a more galloping track is picked to see her frank the Epsom form and reverse her Chester form with Magic Wand.

Outside of the sensational efforts of Alpha Centauri so far this season, it probably doesn’t look a vintage year for three-year-olds but Forever Together is a very above average staying type and she can hopefully prove that there was no fluke about her Epsom win even though the ground was much softer that day.

Lyons stalwart will be ‘Ard to beat

The €100,000 prize for the Scurry Handicap at the Curragh on Saturday will be hard earned as a field of 17 sprinters go to post for this hotly contested race and it is a case of wondering will class prevail or will a featherweight come through to take the pot.

A horse like Rattling Jewel, who previously won off a mark of 85 and is now down to a rating of 76 and will carry just 7st10lbs on his back for the red-hot Joseph O’Brien yard has to be considered strongly in a race like this.

However, despite the appeal of such a light weight it is actually Ardhoomey, who has 10st to contend with for the 75 seconds or so it will take to run the race, who is sided with.

Ardhoomey hasn’t ran in a handicap since finishing fourth in the Rockingham over five furlongs back in 2016 but since then he has picked up a load of prize money and really held his own in good company at listed level all the way through to Group level and won five times along the way with his other success coming just prior to that Rockingham effort.

It may be a case that he’ll struggle to give the weight away today but the 11/1 price on offer was very tempting and therefore he is chanced to just prove too good at this level.

* Prices correct at time of publication

Recommended bets
Ardhoomey (11/1) – 3.45 Curragh
Forever Together (3/1) – 5.30 Curragh