The Curragh | Horse Racing Free Tips

Belardo’s Elysium In Weld Upset

Runner-up to the subsequent G2 Beresford S. third Snapraeterea (Ire) (Buratino {Ire}) in an extended seven-furlong conditions event at Roscommon last time Aug. 18, The London Racing Partnership’s Elysium (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) stepped up to spring a surprise in Sunday’s G3 Weld Park S. at The Curragh. In training with Noel Meade who is best known for his exploits in the jumping sphere, the 12-1 shot was held up in rear early by Billy Lee and when given the green light inside the final two furlongs swamped Aunty Bridy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) with 100 yards remaining en route to a 1 1/2-length success, with Thinking of You (American Pharoah) 3/4 of a length away in third. “Believe it or not, I had said to Billy [Lee] beforehand that although a lot of people thought she has no chance I wouldn’t be surprised if she wins,” Meade said of the €15,000 Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale purchase. “I told him to ride her to get some money and hopefully you’ll get more than that and he rode her beautifully.”

Introduced in the five-furlong Naas maiden won by TDN Rising Star More Beautiful (War Front) and from which the subsequent group winners Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) and Aloha Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) also emerged on the first day back after the lockdown June 8, Elysium was an uneventful 10th there. Off the mark next time when Miss Amulet was fourth over another 164 yards at Navan June 23, the bay was third on her first try at this seven-furlong trip in Leopardstown’s Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Race Final July 16 before her runner-up placing in another of that series of races in deep ground at Roscommon. “I’ve always thought a lot of her–she has shown us oceans of toe at home and I was a bit disappointed at Leopardstown, but Colin [Keane] said she didn’t really understand what it was all about as she’d never been as quick as that before. She certainly seems to have held her form very well and we’ll have to see where we are now. She’s not in anything coming up except a sales race and that was where we were thinking of going after this, but now I don’t know. There are three of us involved in the ownership and we thought we’d buy a few cheap ones with a view to selling. I bought four and I think they are okay.”

In a remarkable year for bargain-buy juveniles, Elysium was joining a growing club of domestic group-race winners alongside the €8,000 sensations Minaun (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Laws of Indices (Ire) (Power {GB}) and the high-class Cadillac (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who fetched just €40,000. Elysium is the second individual pattern-race winner for her Kildangan Stud-based first-season sire and follows two days after his other, Isabella Giles (Ire), lit up Newmarket in the G2 Rockfel S. The dam is the Listed Chesham S. runner-up Sonning Rose (Ire) (Hawk Wing), who is kin to three black-type performers headed by the G3 Premio Carlo Chiesa runner-up Universo Star (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}). This is the family of the three-times group 1-winning Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Gold River (Riverman). Sonning Rose’s filly foal is by Sioux Nation.

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
WELD PARK S.-G3, €50,000, Curragh, 9-27, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:28.17, yl.
1–ELYSIUM (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Belardo (Ire)
1st Dam: Sonning Rose (Ire) (SP-Eng), by Hawk Wing
2nd Dam: Shinkoh Rose (Fr), by Warning (GB)
3rd Dam: Sandpiper’s Dream, by Lyphard
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€15,000 Ylg ’19 GOAUTY). O-The London Racing Partnership; B-Tullpark Ltd (IRE); T-Noel Meade; J-Billy Lee. €30,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, $59,453. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Aunty Bridy (Ire), 128, f, 2, Camacho (GB)–Benedicte (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-David Granville; B-Karis Bloodstock Ltd & Rathbarry Stud (IRE); T-Jim Bolger. €10,000.
3–Thinking of You, 128, f, 2, American Pharoah–Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Joseph O’Brien. €5,000.
Margins: 1HF, 3/4, NO. Odds: 12.00, 4.50, 3.30.
Also Ran: No Speak Alexander (Ire), Sense of Style (Ire), A Ma Chere (Ire), Keeper of Time (Ire), Angel Palm (GB), Star Image (GB), Halla Rince (Ire). Scratched: Monday, No Stopping Her (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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MGSP Van Gogh Returns at The Curragh

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday’s Insights features the MGSP Van Gogh (American Pharoah).

1.25 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 7fT
VAN GOGH (American Pharoah) reverts to maiden company after runner-up placings in the G3 Tyros S. and G2 Champions Juvenile at Leopardstown and should be able to make his class tell. Among the unraced members of the cast facing Ballydoyle’s son of the 2001 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Imagine (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and half-brother to Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill) are Micheal Ryan’s homebred filly Rince Beo (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), a Johnny Murtagh-trained daughter of the “living legend” Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley). Jim Bolger also unveils another daughter of a Classic winner in Wisteria Girl (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), with Joseph Joyce’s colour-bearer being out of the 2005 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Saoire (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).

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Weld the Focus on Sunday

The Curragh takes centre stage on Sunday, with the G3 Weld Park S. the feature as Angel Palm (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) bids to put her 2-year-old peers in the shade. Last seen winning by three lengths in a Leopardstown maiden over this seven-furlong trip Aug. 13, Khalid Abdullah’s relative of Showcasing (GB) and Camacho (GB) has the look of one of Ger Lyons’s burgeoning stars. She meets the Sept. 12 Listed Ingabelle S. No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}), with Ballydoyle’s Ingabelle winner Monday (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) a late scratch just two days after a disappointing fourth in Newmarket’s G2 Rockfel S. The Sept. 11 Limerick maiden winner Thinking of You (American Pharoah) sports the Tabor silks and warrants maximum respect from the Joseph O’Brien stable which houses two of the best of this generation in Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}).

Also on the card is the G3 Comer Group International Loughbrown S., where The Aga Khan’s smart stayer Kastasa (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) is fitted with a visor following her third placing in Naas’s G3 Stanerra S. Aug. 23. Successful by seven lengths in this 12 months ago, the Dermot Weld-trained homebred encounters Ballydoyle’s June 27 G1 Irish Derby third Dawn Patrol (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who was sixth in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster Sept. 12.

Click here for the group preview.

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Mehmas Sons Head Middle Park Market

First-season sire sensation Mehmas (Ire) has come to dominate that category since racing’s wheels began turning in June and it is fitting that he is responsible for three of the big four favourites for Saturday’s G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Tally-Ho Stud’s son of Acclamation (GB), who was third in this race on his racecourse finale in 2016, has Method (Ire), Minzaal (Ire) and Supremacy (Ire) with all three coming into the six-furlong feature on the back of impressive wins in black-type company at the trip. Manton Park Racing’s Method is the only unbeaten of the trio, having brushed aside the subsequent G2 Prix du Calvados winner Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) by 4 1/4 lengths at Doncaster on June 26 before dishing out another sound beating to the eventual G3 Sirenia S. scorer Mighty Gurkha (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) in Newbury’s Listed Rose Bowl S. on July 18. Method’s trainer Martyn Meade is keeping a close eye on the skies. “Everything that we can control I’ve been delighted with, but the one thing we can’t–the weather–may scupper us,” he said on Friday. “I really want to run him, because there’s nothing else for him–he’s not in the Dewhurst and I’d want to keep him over six furlongs anyway–but I wouldn’t want him pulled about on heavy ground.”

It would take a lot of rain to turn the ground heavy on the Rowley Mile and Meade’s fears may prove unfounded. “Newmarket can dry quickly and it is very windy–I just hope they don’t have any more of those downpours,” he added. “This has always been the plan and earlier in the week I thought the ground would be perfect for him. This is the one we’ve been aiming at, but I just don’t want to risk him on extreme ground. I’ve been pleased watching most of the others have hard races while we were always coming straight here–so he’s had a lovely break, been freshened up and hopefully we get to run him.”

Despite occupying favouritism at present, Method has a jump to make to get to Shadwell’s Minzaal and Jason Goddard’s Supremacy on form. Minzaal followed an impressive Salisbury novice success on Aug. 9 with an emphatic score in York’s G2 Gimcrack S. on Aug. 21, while Supremacy went from a 3 3/4-length Windsor maiden win on July 6 to a four-length verdict in the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood on July 30. Minzaal’s trainer Owen Burrows said, “It looks a red-hot race, the best of the crop really and it was always going to be. Fingers crossed, we are going there with every chance. We knew straight after York this would be his race–I wasn’t tempted by anything else and timing-wise it has been perfect. There was plenty of rain before racing on Thursday and the jocks are saying it is riding a bit dead. I’d imagine it will be very similar ground to what it was in the Gimcrack, just on the soft side of good–no excuses for anybody, I shouldn’t think. We’ll learn a bit more about him and we’ll see how good he is.”

Trainer Clive Cox said of Supremacy, “He was an exciting winner of the Richmond and he’s had a healthy break in between there and here. He’s shown us plenty of class, but has physically progressed since Goodwood and we’re very much looking forward to seeing him perform here.”

If the winner comes from outside the “Mehmas three”, it is most likely to be Zhang Yuesheng’s Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who was firmly in command in The Curragh’s G1 Phoenix S. on Aug. 9. Jessie Harrington’s leading colt was successful by 3 1/2 lengths there, with Qatar Racing’s June 19 G2 Norfolk S. scorer The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) being promoted to second from third. Unlucky when fifth in the seven-furlong G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S. back there on Sept. 13, he sits comfortably among the elite of his generation. “It would be fair to say his last race didn’t go to plan, but we don’t need to say any more about that,” Harrington said. “Prior to that, he was very impressive in the Phoenix S. and on that form he should have a good chance. I wouldn’t imagine we’ll be using the ground as an excuse–he’s pretty versatile and it shouldn’t be bottomless. We haven’t done much with him since the National, just kept him ticking over. We’re looking for a big run.”

Dandalla Puts Unbeaten Record On The Line

Juddmonte also sponsors the G1 Cheveley Park S. in which the fillies pursue the title of champion headed by Nick Bradley Racing and Elaine Burke’s unbeaten Dandalla (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). Successful in the G3 Albany S. by six lengths at Royal Ascot on June 19, the bay was deemed initially disappointing when just edging the aforementioned Fev Rover and Santosha (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. on the July Course here on July 10 but subsequent events have shown that form in a different light. Trainer Karl Burke is full of confidence.

“We couldn’t be happier with her. She’s ready to run and hopefully she’ll do herself justice,” he said. “It took her a little while to come to herself [after the Duchess of Cambridge], but the last month has been very good. I think the bit of rain they’ve had will help, although she is a good-actioned filly and we were surprised how well she handled the ground at Ascot. I don’t think she’s ground-dependent. It’s going to be an exciting race, with some nice Irish fillies coming over, but you want to be taking on the best in these races. We’re looking forward to running our filly–hopefully she can prove us right.”

One of the Irish contingent that Burke was referring to is Doreen Tabor’s recent acquisition Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who upset the June 20 G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up Sacred (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G2 Lowther S. over this trip at York on Aug. 20. They finished clear of Saeed Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi’s Sept. 19 G3 Firth of Clyde S. winner Umm Kulthum (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the process and Miss Amulet’s trainer Ken Condon has a strong clutch of 2-year-olds in 2020. “She’s a very progressive filly. I thought it was a good performance at York and she’s done very well since,” he said. “She needs to step up again, but all the signs are good. She deserves to take her chance in a Group 1 now and we’re looking forward to it.”

In an open renewal, the McMurray Family’s Happy Romance (Ire) adds another string to the bow of Ballyhane Stud’s Dandy Man having beaten Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G3 Dick Poole Fillies’ S. at Salisbury on Sept. 3. Trainer Richard Hannon said, “Happy Romance is in great form. She has run well and improved all year. She has not run a bad race yet and this is the logical next step up. What she has done has not surprised us, because she has always shown us a lot. She did well at Salisbury as she did travel wider, but she picked up well. This is a much harder race than the Rockfel, but you would rather be winning a Cheveley Park. There are only certain opportunities to win a Group 1 and this is one of them, so we have to try to take it.”

Going The Distance

Potential middle-distance stars of 2021 have two major opportunities to shine on Saturday, with Newmarket offering the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. and The Curragh’s card featuring the G2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford S. over a mile. The Royal Lodge has drawn a small field, with China Horse Club International’s Aug. 21 Listed Stonehenge S. winner Cobh (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) taken on by the Teme Valley syndicate’s Aug. 19 G3 Acomb S. scorer Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Ballydoyle’s Aug. 22 G2 Futurity S. third Ontario (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Trainer Clive Cox said of Cobh, “He was an impressive winner of the Stonehenge at Salisbury, clearly getting the mile well. He’s a big, scopey individual who has continued to physically develop with his progression on the race track.”

The Beresford may offer more strength in depth than the Royal Lodge, featuring a clash between two ‘TDN Rising Stars’ in High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Wuqood (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The former represents Team Ballydoyle successful an astounding 19 times already and is back over the course and distance of his impressive debut success on Aug. 22, while Shadwell’s Wuqood bids to back up the striking impression of his win on his racecourse bow over this trip at Gowran Park on Aug. 12. Jessie Harrington saddles another of Zhang Yuesheng’s talented juveniles in Ace Aussie (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who was off the mark over seven furlongs at Cork on Sept. 9.

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