Saturday
3.00pm Curragh
Mr Lupton
I think his form only dipped once or twice in a busy campaign last season, and he also goes well when fresh. This 6f on fast ground are his conditions, and he also ran okay on his only previous start at this track. He probably boasts as good a form as any in here, and he has a decent chance, accordingly.
3.35pm Curragh
Phoenix Of Spain
He was obviously a high-class juvenile, winning the Acomb for me on fast ground and then chasing home Too Darn Hot in the Champagne Stakes and Magna Grecia in the Vertem Futurity. So he doesn’t have that much to find with the principals in here on those form lines – he was only beaten a head in the Group 1, which underlined just how good a horse he is – though of course both went on to improve a good deal afterwards.
My colt hasn’t been seen since last October as he had a slight setback, which is why he is making his belated reappearance here instead of going to Newmarket earlier in the month. He has had an extra three weeks to get himself right, though, which is a plus. To be honest, I’d personally take third here and now, as he does face a tall order, but there is no doubting his class and he handled this ground well at York.
Phoenix of Spain enjoying a leg stretch before he heads of to Ireland at the end of the week to the @curraghrace for the Irish 2000 Guineas @cbhills pic.twitter.com/8ejHelZqQ9
— Jamie Insole (@JamieInsole) May 19, 2019
He would probably prefer a bit more juice, as Lope De Vega’s tend to like some ease, but the Curragh do a very good job with the ground, so that doesn’t worry me. I’d like to think he is best-positioned to beat the top two if anyone is going to, especially as he should like this track and he is an exciting and top-notch prospect for the season ahead.
The decision to run Too Darn Hot so quickly again is a real non-Gosden move, and this comes just nine days after his Dante second, which has to be a concern of sorts. But I thought he ran a huge race at York, as Telecaster got a free and easy sit in second, well clear of the third, and Too Darn Hot was the only one that made up any ground on the winner.
I was impressed by him there, and of course he was a brilliant juvenile over 7f, so stepping down in trip will be fine. But you have to weigh that up against the fact Magna Grecia was also really good in the Guineas, has had a three-week break and is just travelling an hour down the road to come here. He has had the perfect prep and that may just sway things in his favour, but it is obviously hard to split the pair.
Sunday
4.25pm Curragh
East
In my mind, the most important part of race-riding is conserving energy, so, for me, I committed the cardinal sin on East in the French 1,000 Guineas at Longchamp. I was in no-man’s land there, sitting three wide, off a steady pace, with no cover.
Her natural instinct was to race and she never shut down and conserved that energy, so as a result I had to take a pull at a time when I didn’t really want to. I was always where I didn’t want to be. She was beaten 1 ½ lengths in third there, and I think it is hard to say that the way the race panned out that it didn’t cost me at least that much ground. I’d be disappointed if she doesn’t at least place here and, after being drawn 14 of 14 in America and 10 of 10 in France last time, she has finally got some luck on that front.
I was hoping for four or five, but seven is okay. This is a tight race and a good renewal – you have to think Hermosa will be suited by this stiffer track, though I thought you could mark up Just Wonderful’s sixth there as well – but I’d be pretty optimistic.
