We managed to walk away with two winners on Saturday, which is something not to be scoffed at on the most competitive day of racing.
Trustyourinstinct took a while to get past the long time leader, but when he did, he won with plenty of authority.
Mgheera stayed to the near side after being drawn high and had to do a lot of the donkey work, so her win in the Group 2 sprint at Haydock was very impressive, and it was a surprise she drifted in the market.
Storm Boy wasn't great, but apparently he needed the run. That comment came out in the morning paper, so unfortunately, I didn't get to see that before putting him up.
White Birch – Curragh 3.05
After some thought and trying to find a way to get an each-way angle in this race, I couldn't look past White Birch.
It's a shame that this horse has had injuries in his career, as he is a top-quality horse on his day and is a great flag bearer for a smaller Irish yard, but when he's on tune, he is up there with the best middle-distance horses.
The rain is expected to come and I can see it going soft, and when you combine that with a likely front runner in the shape of Continuous, this will be a stamina test over 10f. I originally thought that would bring Kalpana into the conversation as she was impressive at Champions Day at Ascot last year over 12f, but the runner-up being 2L behind is what put me off, as that horse hasn't franked the form. I believe that if they try and make it a test, like they did last year for Auguste Rodin, it will result in the same way with White Birch picking up the pieces and winning.
I think this year will be tougher as Los Angeles handles cut in the ground more than what Auguste Rodin did, and you have Anmaat who is equally as good on soft ground, but I thought White Birch's seasonal return was impressive after being off the track since this race last year, and hopefully, he can have a fruitful season.
Lake Victoria – Curragh 3.40
It is a boring pick by going with the favourite for a Classic race, but I've always held Lake Victoria in high regard, and I believe she is a cut above this field and will win the Irish 1000 Guineas.
Aidan O'Brien was vocal that she was undercooked heading into the English 1000 Guineas, and she ran like those comments were correct. We see it all the time with O'Brien horses that you shouldn't write them off after a lacklustre performance, with City Of Troy being the one which sticks out in recent memory after he won the Derby with a horrible prep.
I think that the rain at the Curragh will make this more to Lake Victoria's liking. She is by Frankel, and progeny of the GOAT often take a liking to cut in the ground, and given she is by Quiet Reflection, who was a monster sprinter on soft ground, today's ground should be ideal. To back this up, her best performance as a juvenile came on soft ground at Newmarket when winning the Cheveley Park Stakes Group 1, recording an RPR of 116.
GambleAware