The Curragh has Group Three action for its penultimate date of the season at HQ although particular resonance will surround Tuesday’s derby action.
The Al Basti Amateur Derby includes rider Paddy Smullen, son of the late champion jockey Pat Smullen, who teams up with Dermot Weld’s hope Grappa Nonino in the 11-runner heat.
During his stellar career the much-missed former champion, who died in 2020 aged 43 after a two-year struggle with pancreatic cancer, twice won the Irish Derby for Weld on Grey Swallow and Harzand.
His 17-year-old son made his racecourse debut at the Curragh earlier this season when third in a charity race run in his father’s memory to raise money for Cancer Trials Ireland. The teenager’s older sister Hannah won her first race during the summer.
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Pat Smullen’s big-race Curragh CV also included four Leger victories and Tuesday’s amateur contest marks a return to action for the 2021 Irish St Leger hero Sonnyboyliston.
The teak-tough seven-year-old hasn’t run since appearing in Dubai in early 2022 when still in the care of Johnny Murtagh for the Kildare Racing Club. Now Sonnyboyliston is trained by Charles Byrnes for new ownership.
Last year’s winner Helvic Dream, himself a former Group One winner at the Curragh, is back again although in an intriguing contest maybe Smooth Tom, a Lincolnshire runner up at the start of the season, could emerge on top in first-time cheekpieces.
Ryan Moore is on duty for three rides on a high-quality midweek programme featuring the Staffordstown Stud Stakes.
Won last year by this season’s Yorkshire Oaks winner Content, and 10 years ago by City of Troy’s dam Together Forever, the dozen-strong field includes four from Ballydoyle topped by Giselle.
The regally bred Frankel filly comfortably won her maiden at the track over a fortnight ago and is already prominent in classic betting for 2025.
Moore’s first ride of the day is Full Power in a maiden although Joseph O’Brien looks to hold the key to this. Hostility is a form choice, but Dylan Browne McMonagle is on a newcomer, the €500,000 purchase Saracen, for Al Shaqab.
In other news, there is potential Irish strength in depth for Saturday’s final Group One of the British season, Doncaster’s William Hill Futurity.
Delacroix, winner of the Autumn Stakes on his last start, tops a six-strong Ballydoyle entry after Monday’s latest acceptance stage. Jessica Harrington’s Beresford winner Hotazhell is still in the mix as are a pair of Joseph O’Brien hopefuls, Tennessee Stud and the Goffs Million winner Apples And Bananas.
Twice a Futurity winner as a jockey — Camelot (2011) and Kingsbarns (2012) — O’Brien jnr is pursuing a first success in the race as a trainer. His father holds a record 11 wins.
The John & Thady Gosden team have Detain and the supplemented Nebras in the mile contest. The latter, a half-brother to Nashwa, impressed on his Newmarket debut earlier this month.
Nebras is owned by Imad Al Sagar and his racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: “We were all impressed at Newmarket and in John’s mind he always wanted to run him twice, if he could, this year.
“At the time we were pleased that he won so well, so then it was just a question of how he came out of the race and how he was up until this morning when the decision was made.
“He ticked all those boxes, but it is going to be a big ask, no question, especially having had just the one race. But the key thing is he comes into it in really good form, we think he’ll handle the soft going, which we’d expect it to be, and we thought it worthwhile having a try at it.”
Godolphin could attempt to maintain their Group One hot streak at the top juvenile level this autumn with the unbeaten Anno Domini. The son of New Bay has won both his career starts to date although the last of them was in July at Sandown.
Sheikh Mohammed’s operation enjoyed a purple patch at Newmarket’s recent Future Champions programme when Shadow Of Light overcame adversity to land the Dewhurst Stakes. It came 24 hours after Desert Flower impressed with a stylish success in the Fillies Mile contest.
The initial bookmaker reaction to Monday’s forfeits was to install the Royal Lodge winner Wimbledon Hawkeye as a general 7-2 favourite for a contest with a notable roll-of-honour that includes Auguste Rodin in 2022. Delacroix is next best at 4-1.
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