Vastonea Ready To Vanquish Rivals At The Curragh

Punters have the chance to either play up their winnings or have another crack at a “Lincoln” on Sunday when the Irish Lincolnshire takes place at the Curragh (4.55).

8/1 The Field
An event that has been won by runners at both ends of the market, Sunday’s renewal looks wide open with Onenightidreamed and Unsinkable heading the market at 8/1. The former is a lightly raced 4yo with only three outings last year, winning his maiden (1m, heavy), prior to an excellent third in a valuable handicap over C&D (soft).

The fact he is trained by Tommy Stack, who won this race with another 4yo in 2009 is a bonus, and while he has not been since that third in May, his experience at the Curragh has proven a good attribute down the years…

Trends Summary
Of the last 10 Lincolnshire winners…

10 were officially rated 102 or lower
10 were drawn in stall 5 or higher
9 raced at the Curragh previously – others were 1-47
9 made the top eight last time
Females have an 8% record (3-40) compared to males 7-178 (4%)
D Weld won it twice

As for the other 8/1 favourite, Unsinkable, then this 5yo has also not been seen since winning a decent 1m handicap at Leopardstown last October (soft). Rated as high as 100 when trained in the UK, he has been raised 11lb to a mark of 83 for that last win, which could still make him well treated.

Stuccodor Back For More
Last year’s winner, Stuccodor (10/1), comes back to defend the title, but is 6lb higher this time around on a mark of 108, which would be the highest winning mark for many years. If any rain arrives, though, then he will become each-way material.

Also on 10/1 is Aidan O’Brien’s Bishan Bedi, who has no fitness issues having won on the all-weather at Dundalk earlier this month (1m). There was a lot to like about that career best effort, and the fact he’s won turf suggests he won’t be far away on Sunday.

Fitness shouldn’t be a problem for I’ll Be Your Clown (14/1) either, who was runner-up in a 1m handicap at Naas in June, and has been kept busy over hurdles this winter. He is another who would like soft ground to materialise so Sunday becomes a test.

Curragh Form
As mentioned earlier, form here at the Curragh has proven a good omen, which could bode well for Michael Halford’s Hasanour (10/1), who won a decent 1m handicap over C&D in August. He followed that with a close third in a Premier Handicap over the same C&D, and clearly enjoys the strong gallop of these races.

Others with form here include Kevin Prendergast’s Maskoon (12/1), who was third in a Premier Handicap over C&D at the Irish Derby meeting, while stablemate,

Vastonea (14/1), signed off last season with a close second in the Irish Cambridgeshire over C&D (good). Vastonea didn’t get the best of runs that day and was arguably unlucky, yet still races off the same mark on Sunday.

Recommended Bets
Plenty in with chances, but Vastonea won a big 1m handicap at last year’s Galway Festival prior to an unlucky second in the Irish Cambridgeshire. He has surprisingly been left on the same mark and looks cracking each-way value at 14/1.