The Weekend Wager: Tips from Doncaster, Leopardstown and Curragh this weekend
This week's Weekend Wager will focus on the top quality racing in the UK, as Doncaster's St Leger meeting lights up Town Moor, while we also head over to Ireland for a fabulous weekend of action at Leopardstown and the Curragh, and we have tips for all three meetings here...
15:00 Doncaster (Saturday) - Cazoo Park Stakes
A field of six go to post for the Group 2 Park Stakes at Doncaster at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon, and there could be a real value play in the 7f contest in the shape of D'BAI, who is as big as 10/1 for the contest, at the time of writing. Unable to land any sort of blow in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury last time out, the Charlie Appleby-trained seven-year-old was having his first start for six months, so he's entitled to improve considerably for that outing.
Prior to that run at Newbury he was a fine Group 2 winner of a Meydan event in Dubai, so he has shown he has the proven class to land a blow at this sort of level. A winner last season of a conditions stakes at Haydock Park, D'bai has some smart form lines on his CV from his runs in Britain, and he went very close in the 2018 Park Stakes, as he chased home Mustashry to finish second place.
He will have to reverse the Newbury form with Laneqash, who was a fine runner-up in the Hungerford Stakes, while Danyah heads into this event on the back of a fine Ascot handicap success, but this is a considerable step up for that challenger. Glorious Journey is a Group 3 winner this season, but the step up to Group 2 company looks a tough ask, so it's worth siding with D'bai, who has proven to be a top notch performer at this level, and he can shock the more fancied contenders with a win here.
14:10 Leopardstown (Saturday) - Clipper Logistics Boomerang Mile
There's a sensational day's racing at Leopardstown on Saturday afternoon and one of the feature races of the day is the Group 2 Boomerang Mile, which takes place at 14:10. Heading the betting is the Jim Bolger-trained MAC SWINEY, who earlier in the season was a spectacular winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh, and he will look to recapture that form on Saturday.
That Group 1 Classic win was a superb display as he relished the testing going that day, but since then he's failed to replicate it. However, he's well fancied to go close in this event, and he's at the top of the market at the moment, in what looks an ultra-competitive renewal. Failing to kick on from that Guineas win, Mac Swiney was fourth in the Derby at Epsom before finishing sixth in the Irish Derby two starts ago.
Dropped back in trip on his last start, he was well beaten in the 1m 2f Juddmonte International Stakes at York, but a further drop back to a mile could be the making of him and he looks a really solid betting option. Obviously, any rain that could possibly hit Leopardstown would be a bonus, but having shown his brilliance over a mile when winning the Guineas, if he can repeat that effort then he should have far too much for the likes of Maker Of Kings, Thunder Moon and Njord, who look the three main dangers.
14:45 Leopardstown (Saturday) - Irish Champion Stakes
There may only be a field of four for the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday afternoon, but what a sparkling quartet it is lining up to battle it out for Group 1 supremacy. Aidan O'Brien, who has trained nine winners of the race, will bid for a tenth success and saddles the top-class St Mark's Basilica, who has been a real revelation this season, and heads into this event as the likely race favourite.
A fine victory in the French 2000 Guineas was followed by a sensational French Derby win, before he downed Addeybb and recent Juddmonte International winner Mishriff in a dominant display in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park. A repeat of that Sandown performance back over 1m 2f should prove to be enough and while he will have three lively adversaries, ST MARK'S BASILICA could prove to be one of the stars of recent times.
Dermot Weld's Tarnawa made a phenomenal comeback to the track when she eased to victory in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown, and she's entitled to improve on that effort here, but she will have to give weight away to the aforementioned St Mark's Basilica, and that's going to be a tough ask.
Poetic Flare could prove to be the biggest danger to St Mark's Basilica, as the impressive 2000 Guineas has been a real model of consistency this year. He may have suffered defeats on his last two starts, but they were far from poor runs, as he was beaten by a classy filly in Alcohol Free in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, while he was just outclassed by Palace Pier in the Jacques Le Marois in France on his last outing. Jim Bolger's charge is sure to be a major player here, but he may just lack that turn of pace to deal with St Mark's Basilica, who will also need to beat outsider Patrick Sarsfield in a vintage renewal.
15:30 Curragh (Sunday) - Moyglare Stud Stakes
A raft of exciting fillies will take each other on in Sunday's Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and there are sure to be some 1000 Guineas clues emerging from the Group 1 feature. The Ger Lyons-trained Cairde Go Deo and Dermot Weld's Homecoming Songs have shaped with real promise in the early part of their careers, but this could just come a little soon for them.
That can't be said about the Joseph O'Brien-trained AGARTHA, who has been hugely progressive this season and was last seen bounding to an impressive two-length success in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes at the Curragh. Pulling comfortably clear of a decent field that day, the daughter of Caravaggio shaped like she could most certainly be capable of bagging Group 1 glory, and with plenty of experience behind her then she can reign supreme.
Prior to that Group 2 success she had also landed a Group 3 win at Leopardstown, so she has proven to be a real model of consistency in Pattern company, and this can be another stepping stone in her fledgling career, as she looks to claim a maiden Group 1 crown.
