16:00
Curragh
Odds correct as of 10:39am 08th Aug
Another week of racing action comes to an end on Sunday and we have four meetings to sink our teeth into. There’s Group 1 action on offer at the Curragh and Aidan O’Brien’s record in the race is exceptional. A few British runners are making the trip over to the Curragh and we’ve got an ante-post pick for the upcoming Ebor Festival. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
The great Aidan O’Brien has won the Phoenix Stakes a record 17 times since 1998, which doesn’t bode well for his rivals here. He will be represented by Carry The Flag and Sun Goddess this time around and it’s the latter who makes the most appeal, with Ryan Moore on board.
Sun Goddess was second to Carry The Flag on debut but she took a big step forward to win a course and distance maiden by five lengths on her next start. Second in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot after that, she then went on to win the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes and this is the logical next step for her.
Big Mojo represents the Mick Appleby yard and the Group 1-winning four-year-old drops down a couple of grades to contest the Phoenix Sprint Stakes and he’s arguably the one to beat. He landed the Sprint Cup at Haydock last season and is more than capable of getting the job done.
Clive Cox is sending James’s Delight over for the same race and he was a fair third in the Greenlands Stakes over course and distance on his most recent start. He’s entitled to go close on that evidence, though his fellow British raider could be a touch nut to crack.
York’s Ebor Festival takes place in a couple of weeks and one of the main events is the Nunthorpe Stakes, a Group 1 sprint over 5f. Aidan O’Brien’s potential runner could be more than a little overpriced.
Mission Central (12/1, bet365) produced a brilliant finishing effort to land the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot as a three-year-old. A little flat in the July Cup when last seen, you can put a line through that effort and the yard is in much better form at the moment. He looks like the ideal each-way play.