Staffordstown Stud Stakes Tips & Betting Preview

Aidan O’Brien is dominant in this race, winning six of the last eight renewals, and his main chance looks to be Butterflies who is also the top rated. Interestingly he doesn’t train the favourite though, that honour going to Charlie Appleby and the once raced Kazimiera who could be very good. However, our tip for the race is the Appleby’s other runner CALARE who has excuses for a poor run last time out and looked progressive up until that run. Available at a good Each Way price in the betting she has an excellent chance in a competitive race.

1 BOUND – The first of two Aidan O’Brien entries, and so needs to be taken seriously. Looks the second string on ratings though, with a mark of 84 after 5 starts. Still a maiden and beaten out of site in a similar Group 3 and out her depth here, having been easily beaten by Queen Anne’s Lace last time out.

2 BUTTERFLIES – The second Aidan O’Brien entry and the top rated horse in the race with a mark of 99 after 4 starts. Finished a promising 3rd in the same Group 3 as Bound, although the front two did pull away. Full sister to Hanky Panky (rated 98) and half sister to horses including Giant’s Causeway and Freud so plenty of potential.

3 CALARE –  One of two Godolphin horses entered and the second string according to silks. Having performed admirably on first two starts in the UK, was sent on a raiding trip to France where a narrow 2nd at Deauville Listed Race to a good horse was followed by a disappointing run in a competitive Group 3. Excuses there though having been hampered and bumped early. She looks to be the main reason James Doyle travels to Curragh and has every chance if resuming progression sound before last time out, so looks an excellent value bet at the odds and is our tip for this race.

4 CHELSEA CORSAGE – Rated just 76 after 3 starts, turns out 9 days after finishing second at a big price in a Dundalk maiden. The winner of that race is a promising type but 3rd and 4th are both rated in the low 70s and she faces an uphill battle here.

5 KAZIMIERA – The second of the Godolphin runners, William Buick is booked with James Doyle swapping to Calare, although she does carry the first string silks. Also trained by Charles Appleby, she stayed on well to win her debut – and only race so far – beating a horse rated 85 by 2 lengths fairly comfortably. She’s beautifully bred, out of a mare who won a Listed race by 7 lengths aged 3, but she’ll find this company much tougher than last time out.

6 QUEEN ANNE’S LACE – Another promising filly making only her second start for powerful connections, she ran all over Bounce last time out at Gowran on Soft ground, winning by over 4 lengths. Cut in the ground will suit her nicely, and she is another with every chance today if building on her last time out run.

7 ROONEY O’MARA – Ran 6 days ago at Limerick when beaten over 12 lengths into 3rd – looks one for nursery company after getting a mark from this run and would need to step up considerably on both previous efforts to get prize money here.

8 SWEET SOUNDS – An impressive winner on debut in August over 7.5f, she was sent off a shade of odds on for her second start when showing a nice turn of foot to put the race to bed and make it two wins out of two. The front two pulled well clear that day and she likely has more to come but she hasn’t shown as much as some of the others in this race yet and this is much tougher company than she has faced before.