The Curragh offer the perfect warm-up to the weekend with a Friday twilight card featuring a trio of Group 3 races including two Classic pointers for 2022.
The first is the Manguard Plus Irish EBF Flame of Tara S. for 2-year-old fillies over a mile, with Flaxman Stables Ireland, Demi O'Byrne & Susan Magnier represented by Albula (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bidding to double her tally having won over this trip on debut at Naas Aug. 2. Representing the Joseph O'Brien stable, she encounters a pair of Ballydoyle runners in Kiss You Later (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Moyglare Stud Farm, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor's daughter of the GI Santa Monica S. heroine Switch (Quiet American) who was seventh on debut over seven furlongs here July 18, and the unraced Lullaby (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Westerberg's relative of the G3 Jersey S. winner Ishvana (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). In a race of unexposed types, Zhang Yuesheng's Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a Jessie Harrington-trained half-sister to Novellist (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) enters the reckoning despite being only fourth on debut behind Albula at Naas.
The second of the juvenile Group 3 races is the Heider Family Stables Round Tower S. over six furlongs, where Harringon saddles Alpha Racing's Aug. 8 seven-furlong maiden winner Cowboy Justice (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) against some proven performers. They include Juddmonte's unbeaten filly Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) who captured the five-furlong Listed Tipperary S. June 30 and the valuable Ballyhane S. over this trip at Naas Aug. 2. John and Jess Dance's July 8 G2 July S. third Sam Maximus (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) ships from Britain, while Mark Dobbin's July 21 Listed Marwell S. winner Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) is another with black-type already under her belt.
In between is the nine-furlong Snow Fairy Fillies S., in which Teruya Yoshida's G1 Matron S. heroine Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) looks to get her head in front for the first time in 2021 and bounce back from a disappointing effort when last in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 9. Last year's G1 Moyglare Stud S. winner Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has also been in the doldrums of late, but was sixth in the 10-furlong G1 Pretty Polly S. here last time June 27 and can also benefit from a drop in class, while Team Valor International and Gary Barber's progressive Solene Lilyette (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) comes off a career-best win in Gowran Park's Listed Hurry Harriet S. over 100 yards further Aug. 11.
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