11-4 NAP AND 55-1 DOUBLE UP: Shamrock landed four winning bets yesterday, including a 55-1 double with his Curragh nap, Power (WON 11-4), and Doncaster’s Irish-trained sprint hero, Nocturnal Affair (WON 14-1).
‘SEA’ GAMBLE LANDED: One of his other Outsiders became a hot shot as Born To Sea (WON 5-2), the Sea The Stars half-brother, was the subject of plunge bets, so landing a Shamrock juveniles double with Power.
2.40 Curragh (Flame Of Tara Stakes): Favourites have been turned over in the last three runnings of this, including an odds-on shot and Ballydoyle’s Wild Wind (runs 4.15 today).
Today’s favourite, Yellow Rosebud, has already beaten Rubina and Soon and, on a line through Rubina, holds Princess Sinead, but it’s hard to be confident with lightly raced fillies; all bar one have had four runs or fewer.
Devotion is massive at 14.0 this morning, when you consider that an improver is what you should be looking for, and a daughter of Dylan Thomas at that.
3.45 Curragh (Blandford Stakes): It’s 5-5 between three-year-olds and older fillies and mares in the last decade, with John Oxx and Sir Michael Stoute both having had three winners in that time.
Eleanora Duse was one of those Stoute stars and she returns for back-to-back wins but, with her overall form unappealing, she’s meeting two of the most reliable fillies you can find anywhere.
Banimpire has been the pride of Jim Bolger’s yard this term ,with her short-head defeat by Blue Bunting in the Irish Oaks the highlight, but many other great runs on the CV.
However, Bible Belt is the current revelation: she’s gone up through the ranks of Listed and Group 3 (beating Sapphire, Kirinda and Look At Me, all reopposing here) and now’s her big chance to step up another rung.
Since Banimpire’s had a long, hard season, I’ll read from the Jessica Harrington hymn sheet and follow Bible Belt now until she’s beaten.
4.15 Curragh (Solonaway Stakes): Cityscape deserves a break – which this big drop in class may seem to him – but three-year-olds are on a hat-trick mission, and again a Ballydoyle each way (Wind Wind) beckons, with Cityscape the hub of my trio so that I get a result from the best of both worlds.
4.15 Curragh (Renaissance Stakes): Like Banimpire, Rose Bonheur has been a filly to rely on for some time now and she has her optimum conditions today.
Bewitched goes for back-to-back wins and Defnightly is defnightly the one to beat, but 8.0 Rose Bonheur? That rose smells like value.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Bible Belt (3.45 Curragh)
NEXT BEST: Rose Bonheur (5.20 Curragh)
OUTSIDER: Devotion (2.40 Curragh), Wild Wind (4.15 Curragh)
DAQ TRIO: Bible Belt (3.45 Curragh), Cityscape (4.15 Curragh), Rose Bonheur (5.20 Curragh)
