Curragh Saturday review and free video replays

Remote edges Classic thriller

Going Remote (12/1) came out best in a ding-dong finish to the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic, providing Kazakhstan’s Bauyrzhan Murzabayev with a first victory at the meeting.

The Jessica Harrington-trained top-weight, whose only previous success came in this summer’s Ulster Derby, appreciated the return to some better ground after disappointing on soft at Galway last time.

Runner-up Champagne Prince (9/1) helped Rachel Venniker secure more points for Rest of the World, while Houstonn (9/1) was third for the Ladies under Marie Velon.

Murzabayev said: “I had instructions on the horse. I see the same before, the horse is always lazy. Today, good jump, all the time second position, and of course he was fighting for the win. The horse [Houstonn] on the inside fought me all the time and the outside horse [Champagne Prince] came late but luckily I held on. He is a lovely horse, did everything well, and today is nice.

“Winning at Ascot is very special for me. Royal Ascot is a very special meeting. l like English racing and I follow it. It is one of my favourites. I have not ridden here much and for me it is very sweet.”

Kevin Blessing, co-owner of the winner, said: “Going Remote was tough. We used different tactics today. He has come from behind in the past, but he was up there with the pace today and really toughed it out. He was great.

“It was Kate's [Harrington] idea to come to the Shergar Cup, she had marked it out a while ago. He ran in Galway last week on soft ground and was slightly disappointing, but he ran very well at Navan. It was a great call from Kate. He'd been running very well on faster surfaces – Navan was good, good to firm I think, and Down Royal in the Ulster Derby was over a mile five on good ground. We kind of drew a line through Galway on soft ground last week.”

Haydock next for Sprint hero

Givemethebeatboys put his Royal Ascot disappointment behind him when getting back to winning ways in the FBD Hotels And Resorts Heritage Hotel Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh.

Jessica Harrington’s sprinter was quietly fancied to run a big race in the Commonwealth Cup having pushed Bucanero Fuerte close in the Lacken Stakes, but he was never going at any stage and trailed in last of the 14 runners behind Inisherin.

Given plenty of time to get over that and back on home soil, he came with a late rattle under Shane Foley to take the Group Three spoils. Before he appeared on the scene it appeared another big Irish sprint was due for export, with British raiders Shartash and Electric Storm hitting the front.

However, both faded late on and it was 11/4 favourite Kind Of Blue, another British runner, who appeared set to give Harrington’s charge the most to do, but he went down by a head. My Mate Alfie was third.

Assistant trainer Kate Harrington said: “It’s lovely for him to win as the Sands family (part-owners Bronsan Racing) had a tragic farming accident this week and the funeral is today. It’s great to get the horse back on track after Ascot. He had an abscess underneath his lip the size of a golf ball and had an operation to have it removed about three weeks ago.

“Shane said he took a little blow half a furlong down, so he’ll improve plenty from that. I’d say all roads lead now to Haydock for the Betfair Sprint Cup. He did a lovely bit of work in Naas last week. Shane said he gave him a feel today like he hadn’t done before, and he’ll improve again.”

The sponsors make him 16-1 from 25s for next month’s Haydock feature.

O'Brien colts both 25/1 for Guineas

The beautifully-bred Delacroix opened his account at the second time of asking at the Curragh, with any number of eyecatching performances in behind him.

By Dubawi out of Tepin, who came from North America to win the 2016 Queen Anne Stakes, the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt had finished an encouraging second on his debut at Leopardstown. Having survived a scare at the start when Delacroix was unruly in the stalls, Ryan Moore was keen to set the pace on the 2-5 favourite.

Sheila Lavery’s outsider Pickersgill briefly threatened to play a part in the finish before fading but ran with a deal of promise, as did Joseph O’Brien’s Dante’s Lad, who finished third.

Perhaps the one for the notebook, though, was Acapulco Bay, a stablemate of the winner, who only had two behind him entering the final furlong but flew home for second, beaten a length and three-quarters.

The winner was cut to 25/1 from 33s by Betfair and Paddy Power for next year’s 2000 Guineas.

“He was very green the first day and he’s still very green. Ryan said they were waiting in the stalls a long time and he had a hold of him, but when he let him go he just went up,” said O’Brien.

“He’s still babyish and he’ll probably come forward plenty. He’s probably going to be a lovely middle-distance horse. The second horse had a lovely run. You don’t know what they are going to do first time. I said to Wayne (Lordan) to give him a chance the first half to see what he’s going to do the second half and he was coming home.”

O’Brien and Moore doubled up with even-money favourite Ides Of March in the Revamp Conservation And Restoration Irish EBF Maiden.

Fourth on debut over six furlongs, he was then a beaten favourite over a furlong further but made no mistake back down at six and is as low as 25/1 for the 2000 Guineas with some firms, although O’Brien views him as more of a sprinter. Coming back in trip suited him and he could be a Group sprinter. He’s a powerful, big horse,” he said.

“He could be one for something like the Middle Park with a run in between. I think there is a six-furlong Listed race back here that he could go for next.”

Snow shines for Donnacha

It was an O’Brien lockout in the ARC American Racing Channel Irish EBF Fillies Juvenile Race – but this time Donnacha O’Brien’s Falling Snow got the better of his father’s Ballet Slippers.

Both fillies are impeccably bred with Ballet Slippers, who had the advantage of a previous run, by Dubawi out of Magical, while Falling Snow (7/2), who was making her debut but had won a barrier trial, is by Justify out of Winter.

The two dominated, although for much of the final furlong Ballet Slippers looked to be holding her closest rival only for Falling Snow and Gavin Ryan to get up close home by a neck and earn a 20-1 quote for the Oaks with Paddy Power.

O’Brien said: “I’d say the barrier trial she won was fairly moderate, but she was impressive so we said we’d bring her here and throw her in at the deep end a little bit against one of dad’s that he thought was pretty good. She’s done it nicely so she’s obviously pretty smart. She’s done everything right today, she travelled and stuck at it really well and pricked her ears at the line.

“She’s big and rangy and is probably not going to be a filly until next year really. I had it in my head that we would give her two runs this year. If she got beat in a maiden then we would come back and win one and if she won then we’d look at a Group race. She might come back here for a Group Three race over a mile. There is one in about three weeks and another in about five or six weeks. She likes a bit of nice ground and then we’ll probably put her away for the year.”

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