32-1 DOUBLE FOR SHAMROCK: Shamrock landed his nap and next best for a 32-1 double at Tipperary last night – Adiynara (WON 5-1) and Jamesie (WON 9-2) – and just missed a sensational 263-1 treble in his Daq Trio when One For Joules (2nd 7-1) raided Ffos Las.
QUALITY CURRAGH CARD: There’s a boys’ Derby and an International on the same card tonight at The Curragh. Can Famous Name win the International? Who’s the famous name of the future in the boys’ Derby?
Famous Name of the future? Never mind the most likely winner of the International tonight, check out the top boys in the Derrinstown Apprentice Derby.
Our triple dead-heaters for the 2010 apprentices’ title, Joseph O’Brien, Gary Carroll and Ben Curtis, clash in a red-hot race, challenged by this season’s leaders, Ronan Whelan and Ray Dawson, and Shane Foley, who won the race two years ago.
A lot will be at stake in riding skills tonight, but there seems to be a distinct bias to three-year-olds in the race: they are well up, with seven winners from the last 10.
Force Of Habit, second in Saturday’s Ulster Derby, will have something to say about that but, otherwise, the older horses are not very promising: claimers, jumpers and French soft-ground imports yet to make an impression over here.
Sportsmaster (7.00) and Sam Bass were first and second at Roscommon recently: Sportsmaster, hanging a bit under pressure, now wears blinkers for the first time, and they may give him the edge for Ben Curtis.
Sam Bass got close to Sportsmaster in first-time blinds that day at Roscommon but you’re always wary of whether the effect will wear off second time around.
Famous Name (7.30), winner of six Group 3s, including this one two years back, is not getting any younger, and Joseph O’Brien can quickly bounce back if he’s beaten in the boys’ Derby by toppling the favourite on Jan Vermeer, in the frame in two Classic Derbys last year.
I think you can ignore Jan Vermeer’s pace pantomime at Ascot; he’ll prefer this easy surface, will be held up now and has the measure of Elusive Pimpernel on his third to Workforce in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes.
In a tactical race I see Last Crusade leading, trying to take the sting out of Famous Name and setting it up for Jan Vermeer.
Late Debate (6.30) gets a penalty for winning at Naas on Wednesday but that brings him into the handicap proper and he hardly seemed to blow after his win and could make it back to back.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Sportsmaster (7.00 The Curragh)
NEXT BEST: Late Debate (6.30 The Curragh)
DAQ TRIO: Late Debate (6.30 The Curragh), Sportsmaster (7.00 The Curragh) and Jan Vermeer (7.30 The Curragh)
