The Irish 1000 Guineas (Group 1)

Winter may have won at Newmarket a couple of weeks ago but can she double up at the Curragh on today?

Aidan O’Brien has decided against running Rhododendron instead keeping her for the Oaks but he is still mob handed with half the field declared from Ballydoyle. Supporting Winter are Hydrangea, Roly Poly and Asking.

It’s the ground that thrown everything. The heavy rain yesterday at the Curragh has turned the ground to yielding, a bit worse than it was for that Guineas Trial at Leopardstown. It now looks a hot trial now, won by Hydrangea with Winter second and Rehana third. All take each other on again here.

Four fillies oppose the Ballydoyle juggernaut.

Aneen from the Kevin Prendergast yard had two runs as a juvenile. She made a pleasing debut at Leopardstown running on strongly into fourth before winning a maiden here at the Curragh on good to yielding ground where she was an easy winner albeit possibly an uncooperative one when flashing her tail when put under the whip.

Bean Feasa (Irish for a woman of knowledge) represents Jim Bolger. She ran very well first time out when going down a half a length to Psychedelic Funk at Naas last year but in two subsequent runs as a juvenile she wasn’t able to build on that. Her reappearance came in what the Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial where she ran fifth. A second in a maiden behind Naughty But Nice was then followed up with a win over Asking in the Derrinstown 1000 Guineas Trail at Leopardstown.

Joseph O’Brien’s Intricately was a surprising winner of the Moyglare Stakes (G1) last year but she hasn’t gone on from there. At Newmarket she was competitive before running out of steam two furlongs out and maybe it was the dip that caught her out. She’ll welcome a return to this flatter track and she’ll also like the ground given her win the Moyglare was on a yielding surface.

Rehana from the Mick Halford stable had four runs last year including a win over Rhododendron when she took her maiden. Thereafter she went down in the Debutante Stakes (G2) and in the Moyglare Stakes (G1) fourth both times. Her third in the Leopardstown Trial was followed up with a very impressive performance at Naas three weeks ago when she took on and beat older fillies in the Athasi Stakes (G3).

It worth noting that Roly Poly whose overall two year old form was good also has form on the track and on the surface having won the Grangecon Stud Stakes (G3) here last June.

It’s a tight one Winter is well capable of doing the double but she’s a skinny price and she’s worth taking on. Rehana’s performance at Naas was very likeable and she seems to have come on well from the Leopoardstown Trial. Her test today is the surface, if she handles it she could win today.

Recommendation: Rehana 13/2 ew 

                                        Rehana, Roly Poly (Reverse forecast)