Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend - Day One Tips
5 minutes Here at betting.bet we have cast our eye over the eight-race card, providing exclusive daily betting tips as well as the latest race odds
There’s a huge weekend of horse racing ahead of us at the weekend as the Curragh hosts its two-day Irish Oaks meeting.
The Group 1 Classic is the feature race on Saturday and here at betting.bet we have cast our eye over the eight-race card, providing exclusive horse racing betting tips as well as the latest race odds from our partners at William Hill.
3:05
Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes (Group 2)
BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND - 11/2
The first Group-level race at the Curragh this weekend is the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes over the minimum 5f trip. Believing is the race favourite despite failing to place in two Group 1 races at Royal Ascot. There were encouraging signs in the King Charles III Stakes on the opening day of the meeting but she failed to stay 6f in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on the Saturday.
Makarova was 2½lengths adrift of Believing in the King Charles III Stakes and although she won the Coral Charge last month, there is nothing to indicate she’ll reverse that Ascot form on Saturday.
Ano Syra is the only previous C&D winner in the race having landed both the Junefest and Rockingham Handicaps in June 2022. However, in the last twelve months her best runs have come over 6f, including a close second here to a respected rival last month.
The pick of the field for us is Beautiful Diamond for in-form trainer Karl Burke. Dead-heated at Ayr last time out and whilst she didn’t enjoy the soft ground at Haydock a race earlier, she was mightily unlucky not to win the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket earlier in May. The good ground will suit and handed a decent draw in stall 2 and we expect her to go off much shorter than the 11/2 currently available.
3:40
Juddmonte Irish Oaks (Group 1) (Fillies)
CONTENT - 10/3
The big news ahead of the day’s feature race was Ryan Moore’s decision to ride Content rather than antepost favourite Port Fairy. As the markets reacted, Content was installed as the new race favourite with Ribblesdale winner Port Fairy on the slide. Aidan O’Brien has an incredible record in the race and Moore’s defection to Content seems telling. We’re going with the market in the Irish Oaks and backing Content to win on her first run over 1m4f.
The dark horse in the field is French challenger Dare To Dream. Like Content, Dare To Dream has never raced over Saturday’s trip before but her stamina was certainly tested on challenging ground on three runs in France this year. Dare To Dream heads back to the Curragh having been outpaced over 1m2f in the Group 1 Prix de Diane Longines last month. She may find Content too good once more but offers superb each-way value at odds of 13/2.
You can read a more in-depth preview of the Juddmonte Irish Oaks over on our dedicated horse racing page.
4:15
Comer Group International Curragh Cup (Group 2)
TOWER OF LONDON - 7/4
The third successive Group race at the Curragh on Saturday is the Group 2 Curragh Cup. There are 12 runners confirmed for this year’s renewal with a fascinating tussle between two champion trainers at the head of the market. Top national hunt trainer Willie Mullins goes up against his flat racing counterpart, Aidan O’Brien with both Vauban and Tower Of London entered for this year’s Curragh Cup renewal.
Dual-purpose star Vauban has not quite hit the heights of the last couple of years in two runs so far in 2024 and steps back down in trip after finishing fourth over 2m4f in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Looks much better-suited to Saturday’s 1m6f having finished a close second to Giavellotto over the same distance in the Yorkshire Cup in May. Giavellotto has franked that form since by following up to land last weekend’s Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket.
However, Tower Of London twice got the better of Giavellotto out in the Middle East in the spring, first when landing the Group 3 Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap at Riyadh in February and then again to win the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in March. Tower Of London was well-beaten by Vauban and race winner Giavellotto in the Yorkshire Cup but he was later revealed to have lost a shoe at York so we’re happy to excuse that run and give Aidan O’Brien’s exciting four-year-old the nod on Saturday.
Whilst the Curragh Cup is shaping up to be a two-horse race but the likes of Shamida and Kinesiology cannot be ruled out. Shamida makes a belated return to the track after a 294-day absence but has to be respected on her 2023 form. Won over C&D in last year’s Irish St Leger Trial but struggled on softer ground in the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu when last seen in September.
Kinesiology steps up to 1m6f for the first time on the back of two solid performances already this year. Won a maiden at Cork in May before finishing second by a neck over 1m4f at Leopardstown last time out. There may be more to come from this progressive three-year-old and he holds solid each-way claims at least.
Saturday’s Race Tips: Curragh
- 1:30 - Dakota Blue
- 2:00 - Rudi’s Apple
- 2:35 - My Mate Alfie / Red Letter Bray
- 3:05 - Beautiful Diamond
- 3:40 - Content / Dare To Dream (ew)
- 4:15 - Tower Of London (NAP) / Kinesiology (ew)
- 4:50 - Siege Of Troy
- 5:25 - Castanets
