Rain Goddess (left, blue) gets the vote
Rain Goddess (left, blue) gets the vote

Irish Eyes previews Sunday's Pretty Polly card at the Curragh


After a winner on Saturday, Irish Eyes returns to preview the final day of the Irish Derby meeting at the Curragh.

Recommended bets: Irish Eyes


1pt e.w. Rain Goddess in 4.20 Curragh at 8/1

2pts win Would Be King in 1.45 Curragh at 2/1

1pt win Clemmie in 3.45 Curragh at 5/2

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One of the most noteworthy aspects of Irish Derby day at the Curragh was the fact that three winners – US Navy Flag, Asking and True Valour – had all run at Royal Ascot less than two weeks previously 

The Irish Derby still eludes Ryan Moore, who had five fancied rides - four favourites and one second favourite - yet could only manage a couple of places, including in the main event where Wings Of Eagles finished third.

Nevertheless Aidan O’Brien landed his 12th Irish Derby and Seamie Heffernan his third, and the pair combine with Bond Street in the opening two-year-old race on the third day of the Irish Derby festival, whereas Moore is on O’Brien’s first string, Gustav Klimt, and he will be fancied to score this time.

Moore was also on board for his debut when he didn’t look too busy and once more O’Brien reaches for the tongue-tie, a notable act which was touched upon in Saturday's column. Gustav Klimt would have been given the vote from this column, but US Navy Flag and Beckford changed things.  

Why? Because WOULD BE KING finished third on debut behind the subsequent Railway Stakes winner Beckford, before finishing runner-up in a Listed race on his next start, with almost two lengths back to US Navy Flag in third. It would be an understatement to say his form received a boost on Saturday.

For all that Gustav Klimt looked a sure-fire future winner, there is no sense in making him favourite over Would Be King now that we know more about their respective form credentials, so the Ger Lyons-trained colt gets the vote at 2/1.

Going back to the earlier point regarding the three winners on Derby day that all ran at Royal Ascot, that gives us plenty of cause to keep the faith with RAIN GODDESS in the Pretty Polly.

This column put her up at 14/1 for the Sandringham where she was sent off half the price but ultimately failed in the final stages under the burden of top-weight and was run out of it by Con Te Partiro.

On breeding, this daughter of Galileo, out of Where, has been crying out for this trip and, with the three-year-old allowance, she is only 1lb wrong with the top-rated filly in this field – the favourite Journey – hence she gets the vote as the value bet at 8/1.

Another O’Brien-trained Royal Ascot runner, CLEMMIE, can uphold the family honour by taking the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes.

She was given a very easy introduction first time out at the Curragh where she went into most notebooks as a surefire future Group winner following her third behind Gasta, who she reopposes here. 

Next time out, Clemmie faced a stiff task in the Albany but ran with credit to finish seventh. A full-sister to Churchill, Clemmie is out of Meow, who won this event in 2010, and she's capable of upholding family tradition.

Stablemate Butterscotch is interesting too and was very impressive when skating up at Naas on Wednesday night, but that was only four days ago so Clemmie, who has had just a marginally longer nine-day gap between races, gets the vote.

Posted at 2050 BST on 01/07/17.

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