DOUBLE GROUP 1 ACTION: SHAMROCK looks ahead to the two Group 1 races on a star-studded Saturday card at Leopardstown.
A superb days racing at Leopardstown on expected good to yielding ground and the card featuring two Group 1 races.
5:35 Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes
Aidan O’Brien won this last year with Alice Springs and he makes a strong assault on a repeat win with a quartet of runners including the likely odds-on favourite Winter.
The filly has only met defeat once this year, at the hands of stable companion and today’s rival Hydrangea who pipped her by a head here at Leopardstown.
Since then though Winter has bloomed with a dual 1000 Guineas success, Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and last time a smooth win in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
The only risk is that she has gone over the top but there were no signs of that at Goodwood and she has had a 37 day break since then. What’s remarkable about her form is that all ground seems to come alike – the sign of a really talented thoroughbred.
Stable companion Roly Poly has won two Group 1 races of her own and at face value looks much improved. However, it’s hard to see her turning around the two and a quarter lengths she was beaten by Winter in the Coronation Stakes over a virtually identical trip.
I think Ryan Moore is on the right one here.
6:45 QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes
I think the starting point of the jigsaw has to be Churchill and I want to be against him. Whereas Winter seems still to be at the peak of her form there are big question marks over Aidan’s dual 2000 Guineas winner as he comes into this on the back of defeats at Royal Ascot and York.
He was particularly flat at Royal Ascot when fourth to Barney Roy in the St James’s Palace Stakes and at no stage got competitive. He was a 1/2 shot in the market that day.
It was a much better effort at York when second to the very talented Ulysses in the International Stakes where he reversed form with Barney Roy who finished third but was no match for the winner.
Win, lose or draw Churchill looks simply too short in the market for this.
A better option, win and place, might be the Dermot Weld trained Zhukova who was fourth in the Group 1 Pretty Polly at the Curragh having previously won the Man O War Stakes at Belmont.
The Weld stable have at last found form and Zhukova can make Churchill fight and hopefully claim a share of the places, at the very least.
SHAMROCK’S BETS:
NAP: Winter (5.35 Leopardstown)
NEXT BEST: Zhukova WIN AND PLACE (6.45 Leopardstown)
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