Saturday yielded a couple of winners from the four put up.
Convergent and Treble Tee were the two winning horses, priced up at 11/4 and 3/1.
The other two runners didn't land a blow. The Aidan O'Brien horse was supported a small amount in the market, but looked in need of the run, which wasn't a huge surprise.
Tuco Salamanca 6/1 (0.75pt EW, 6pl) – Curragh 1.30
As we saw on a couple of occasions yesterday, when the British send horses to Ireland for the Champions Weekend, they need to be respected. Karl Burke walked away with two winners, and Michael Dods had one in a handicap run and finished in the places. In the opener of Day two of this weekend, Ollie Sangster has sent over Tuco Salamanca.
The ground is going to remain soft, so having soft ground form is a huge plus for Ollie Sangster's horse. This horse has been a big improver in the last two months, which has seen him win two races at the Racing League. On both occasions, he has won with more up his sleeve than the winning margins suggest, so the 6lb increase in the weights might not be enough to halt another win.
Due to the number of runners in this race and often being a bias on one side of the track, this is his hardest race to date. I'm not sure which part of the track is best, so hopefully he is on the better side.
Whistlejacket 10/1 (1pt) – Curragh 3.15
I'm hoping many people will have given up on Whistlejacket, which will allow us to get some better value on him than we normally would do.
Despite him running below what has been expected by many, he was still single-digit odds for the July Cup last time out, which was a surprise. I don't understand why people have been backing him on fast ground, as I've said it for ages that he needs soft ground. Whether five furlongs is his trip is another question, but he is definitely worth a try now he's back on a surface he relishes.
As we've seen for a few years, the sprinting division is on its knees, and if it wasn't for Asfoora and horses from other countries, it would be a proper mess. Asfoora has won a couple of races since running in the UK, and she is the one to beat on her recent impressive Nunthorpe success, but soft ground poses different questions. She could be equally as good, and that would be good enough to win this race, but if she isn't, then another upset could be on the cards.
The way Aidan has fired in the winners on Saturday clearly shows his horses are in great form.
Tarima 12/1 (0.5pt EW, 3pl) – Curragh 5.00
I was very close to typing Red Letter as the selection for this race, but then I noticed Tarima, who definitely caught my eye. Dermot Weld used to have a very solid record in this race a few years ago, winning it five times in six years between 2014 – 2019.
Obviously, when a trainer has form in a race like that, it's a big selling point, but it's not just that for this horse. The pedigree on show is immense, and in a race that isn't Group 1 quality, I had to take a chance on the Aga Khan horse, who is related to some insane horses. She is out of a horse called Tarana, who has produced Tarnawa and Tahiyra, both top-quality horses trained by Dermot Weld.
Dermot's horse is very lightly raced and looked to be a nice prospect when winning on debut earlier this year. She was then pitched into Group 3 company, strongly fancied in the market, but finished last. She clearly had her problems and was off the track for 100+ days, but returned with a solid third-placed finish. She did well in that race to finish in the position she did, as she was given a ride from the back and went very wide. With that run under her belt, and being put in this race that connections have done well in the past, I thought she was well overpriced.
GambleAware