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. Saturday's Observations features the return of Ides Of March. 13.30 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT Aidan O'Brien trainee IDES OF MARCH (IRE) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is the third foal produced by GI Frizette Stakes heroine Nickname  (Scat Daddy) and comes back off a debut fourth at this venue...

Ribblesdale Stakes runner-up Lava Stream (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) has been supplemented for the G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh on Saturday, along with course winner Hanalia (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Trained by David O'Meara, Lava Stream was rated just 74 at the start of the season, but she has since been successful in a handicap at Doncaster and a Listed contest at Goodwood before faring best of the rest behind Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB})--the ante-post favourite for Saturday's Classic--at Royal Ascot. Beaten just a neck...

Prominent breeze-up consignor and pre-trainer Ian McCarthy says that having a genuine Derby horse through his hands will be very hard to top and explained how he will be rooting for graduate Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh. McCarthy sold Ambiente Friendly on behalf of the colt's breeders Al Shira'aa Farms for 80,000gns to bloodstock agent Freddy Tylicki at last year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  Tylicki's opinion on the horse has since been vindicated 10 times over with Ambiente Friendly carrying the colours of...

There's no City Of Troy but Aidan O'Brien still saddles half of the eight-strong field as he seeks a remarkable sixteenth victory in the premier Irish Classic. Los Angeles looks the pick of the Ballydoyle contingent, having finished third behind his feted stable-mate in the Derby, but the son of Camelot has work to do to reverse the Epsom form with runner-up Ambiente Friendly. James Fanshawe's British raider is set to be a warm order to continue a red-hot run of form for Coolmore's own Gleneagles, the sire of another...

There are few people in this industry that you'll never hear a bad word spoken about. Ross O'Sullivan is one of those people. That is just about the greatest compliment that you can give a man who competes as fiercely, and successfully, as the trainer does. But something tells you that O'Sullivan would trade winning popularity contests for taking out big race prizes all day long and Royal Ascot would be a good place to start. The trainer has Warrior Brave (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) and Follow Me (Fr) (Shalaa...

This year's G1 1,000 Guineas took place without Ballydoyle's Opera Singer (Justify), so there is a sense of unfinished business when it comes to the pecking order of the 3-year-old fillies at present. Sunday's Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at The Curragh should answer some questions, none more so than that concerning how straight she is for a tough reintroduction having suffered that setback. So good in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, some will tell you that she may not have to be at 100% to win this but when it...

Six-figure yearlings River Tiber and Unquestionable, both by Wootton Bassett, head the home defence in the first Classic of the Irish Flat season, but they face stern opposition from a pair of British raiders trained by Richard Hannon. Bargain-buy Haatem, from the first crop of the 2019 winner of this race, Phoenix Of Spain, ran a huge race when finishing third in the Newmarket equivalent, but he has work to do to reverse the form with Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred Rosallion, runner-up on the Rowley Mile and a...

Star Bloodstock, the consignment that unearthed talents like Malavath (Ire), A'Ali (Ire) and more, is set to wind down its breeze-up operation and concentrate entirely on producing future top-notchers on the racetrack instead.  The shift in focus has reaped immediate rewards with the aptly-named Make Haste (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), a leading Royal Ascot contender after posting a stunning debut success at Naas for trainer and breeze-up consignor Diego Dias, being snapped up by Gainesway and LNJ Foxwoods.  Bought by Byron Rogers, Star Bloodstock and Dias at the Tattersalls Book...

Royal Ascot-bound Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) has been snapped up by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables and other American-based partners. Cowardofthecounty made a scintillating start to his career when scoring on debut for Joseph O'Brien over 6f at the Curragh.  The form has since been franked with the runner-up, the Aidan O'Brien-rained Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never), landing the First Flier S. over 5f at the Curragh in similarly impressive fashion.  Cowardofthecounty is prominent in the betting for the Coventry S. at odds of 5-1 and, according to O'Brien, the...

The Gain Marble Hill S. at the Curragh will be run in the memory of the late Theresa Marnane. The Group 3 contest, which takes place on Saturday May 2, was won by the Marnane family's Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) last year.  Theresa was a hugely popular member of the racing and breeding industry alongside her husband Con and daughters Amy and Olivia. The Marnane family is associated with countless top-notch graduates, including Group 1 winners Sands Of Mali, Fleeting Spirit, Amadeus Wolf and Rio De La Plata. Brian Kavanagh,...

HONG KONG, CHINA -- Follow this, if you will. A filly bred in America and purchased for a very reasonable sum as a yearling is exported to Ireland, punches above her weight at the races and is sold to Australia for her second career. A few years after her arrival, she is covered there by a notable successful Northern Hemisphere shuttle stallion, the resulting foal makes trips through the sales ring in Australia and New Zealand and goes on to become arguably the best animal to ever look through a...

Due to the continuing inclement weather which has led to a series of recent fixture cancellations, Horse Racing Ireland has announced a number of rescheduled meetings, starting with the G3 Curragh's Alleged S. meeting being moved to Saturday, April 20. This meeting replaces the April 6 meeting at the Curragh which was lost to the weather. Entries for this meeting will close by noon next Tuesday, April 16 with declarations to run to be made by 10am on Thursday, April 18.    As the Curragh is also scheduled for Sunday, April...