The Abu Dhabi Irish 2000 Guineas (Group 1)

The skills of Jim Bolger will be tested over the course of the next two weekends.

His colt, Parish Hall will try to win the Irish Guineas and Epsom Derby. There is only a week between the two races this year as opposed to two weeks when Jim tried to pulled off the same feat with New Approach in 2008. Beaten into second at the Curragh by Henrythenavigator, as he was at Newmarket in the English equivalent, he went on to win at Epsom.

Parish Hall stamped his authority in the Dewhurst last year at Newmarket when coming up the stand side outclassing his rivals. His price of 20/1 was a surprise but his win wasn’t as advised here. (see the post on the Dewhurst). Previously he had been second to Dragon Pulse in the Futurity and the tip was taken when Bolger sent him to the Dewhurst.

Mikael Delzangles sends Hermival to improve on his third in the English Guineas. He’s lightly raced having had just the one run on the last day of the season when winning his maiden. Brought back to contest the Prix Djebel he finished third to French Fifteen and Abtaal before finishing in the same position to Camelot and French Fifteen at Newmarket.

John Oxx runs two, Takar and Born To Sea. The former tired on his first experience at the racecourse when running fourth in a maiden but came on a ton to win a maiden by 8 L on the last day of the Irish season. He returned to again win impressively in the Tetrarch Stakes here two weeks ago. He’ll be cherry ripe for this now. Born To Sea blew his chance at Newmarket when failing to settle in the first two furlongs. In an attempt to overcome this John has decided to run him wearing a hood in this event. If it works and he can preserve his energies until the second half of the race he may well leave the English run behind him.

Trumpet Major was a place behind Hermival at Newmarket and he will certainly improve on the fast ground at the Curragh this weekend. He won the Craven on a decent surface having had a mixed juvenile campaign. Fifth in the Dewhurst, he did win the Champagne Stakes on good to firm ground.

Ballydoyle have won three of the last four Irish Guineas with Henrythenavigator ,Mastercraftsman and Rodrick O’Connor. Wrote,Reply, Daddy Long Legs and Power represent Aidan O’Brien here. Power ran an absolute stinker at Newmarket trailing in an eased down 37 L. He hated the ground and may also have felt the effects of the setback he reportedly had over the winter. He deserves to take his chance on his two year old form which saw him win the Coventry and National Stakes and come second in the Phoenix and Dewhurst Stakes.

Wrote was a winner at the Breeders Cup taking the Juvenile Turf while Daddy Long Legs, also a runner at Churchill Downs in the Juvenile Dirt took the UAE Derby at Meydan before a crack at the Kentucky Derby. He returns to turf for the first time this year. Reply, third in the Middle Park will probably set the pace here.

The good weather in Ireland this week will mean the ground will ride good to firm. It will be to the benefit of most of the participants.

In the skill test, Jim Bolger may go one better than he did in 2008. Parish Hall may go to Epsom with one prayer answered and with another week of praying, well who knows.