STAR PREVIEW: Curragh Sunday

Saturday was a busy and top class day of racing at The Curragh, with the British taking the main prize as Star Catcher won the Irish Oaks, and there could be more success for the raiders in the Sapphire Stakes (3.10).

The first four in the betting are all British and they’ve all got very strong form claims, with Soldier’s Call making the most appeal. A busy and high class juvenile sprinter, he returned with a good third behind Garrus (also runs here) in a listed event at York, when a 5lb penalty may well have made the difference between victory and defeat then. He was then a superb third in the King’s Stand, when finding only Blue Point and Battaash (Equilateral seventh) too good for him, and that has given him the highest rating here.

A versatile horse who appears comfortable with most pace scenarios, if he runs his usual race he ought to take a lot of stopping. Equilateral was seventh there when the ground went against him, but his second in the Palace House gives him an excellent form shout and he is the main danger, with Garrus, since second in the Coral Charge, and Rockingham winner El Astronaute both big dangers.

The home charge is led in the betting by Soffia, who won the Ballygon Stakes here back in June, but she must improve from that victory and Southern Horse, fourth to Speak In Colours in the recent Dash Stakes, makes slightly more appeal of the home team. We can’t forget about Caspian Prince, either.

Curragh Summer Festival – Sunday 21 July
First Race: 2:00pm
Live on Racing TV HD

The next Group event is the Kilboy Estate Stakes (3.45) which is a competitive affair after Duke of Cambridgeshire winner Move Swiftly was confirmed as missing the race. Her absence gives Red Tea, who was a good third in the Lanwades Stud Stakes the time before and evidently couldn’t quite handle the step up in class there, but this event looks far more winnable.

Coral Beach and Goddess are second and third favourites, but both need to improve significantly based on their Group form so far, and Hand On Heart was well behind Move Swiftly in the Duke of Cambridge at Royal Ascot.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-100 points)
BACK Soldier’s Call 2 pts win in 3.10 Curragh at 9/4 with starsports.bet
BACK Red Tea 2 pts win in the 3.45 Curragh at SP with starsports.bet

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