GROUP 1 ACTION AT THE CURRAGH: The highlight is the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh this afternoon which features the hottest of favourites in the Aidan O’Brien trained Caravaggio.
Caravaggio will be a prohibitive price for the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh this afternoon but his credentials can hardly be faulted.
Unbeaten in three starts, he looked exceptional when winning the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, staying on well to beat Mehmas (winner of two Group 2’s subsequently).
Any heavy hitters though may have the lingering doubt that the ground was soft at Ascot but will be fast ground today which he has yet to experience. The grey is unlikely to be risked on unsuitable ground but at around 1/7 I certainly wouldn’t want to be guessing and I’ll watch him win.
The other Group race on the card does at least look a little more competitive from a punting point of view. It’s the Group 3 Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club Phoenix Sprint Stakes at 4.05.
The big question for punters is whether to trust Air Force Blue to get his season back on track after three poor runs at Group 1 level this season.
He was a hugely impressive winner of the Dewhurst Stakes last season but just hasn’t looked the same horse since. It’s not just that’s he’s been beaten – he’s been well beaten in all three starts on a variety of ground and is doing a good impression of a horse that has failed to train on.
If you are backing him today you do so on the basis that he ‘might return to form’ and/or ‘give him one more chance’.
I am afraid though, that even at Group 3 level, I have to be a BETDAQ layer at around 2.32.
SHAMROCK’S BETS:
NAP: LAY of AIR FORCE BLUE (4.05 Curragh)
£25 IN FREE BETS
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