Irish 2000 Guineas

www.patternracing.com

2 years ago

The Irish 2000 Guineas is up against it this Saturday.

*Take Me To Church and Ronan Whelan after winning the Madrid Handicap at Naas in March*

Soccer’s FA Cup Final and rugby’s Champion Cup Final are both live simultaneously and will compete for the attention of sports fans. Finding space in the head in what is an overcrowded world will be difficult for racing. Like anything in sport, it’s a performance that separates the wheat from the chaff. That’s the challenge this weekend at the Curragh, can a performance capture the imagination of the sporting audience?

The blowout of the City Of Troy at Newmarket was unfortunate, the thing we crave we still crave. It’s a long time since Frankel but not as long as the time between Frankel and Dancing Brave. We might feel we’re due one but just because we want doesn’t mean we get.

Richard Hannon thinks Rosallion can put in a performance.

He raved about him as a juvenile telling us he was the best to come through his hands. This week he described his piece of work as genius. The hype was backed up in Paris last year with a comprehensive victory in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere over Unquestionable. Returning this year in the 2000 Guineas, he traveled well until the last half furlong. Caught and passed by Notable Speech the question is, did he get tired or did he not stay?

Behind him at Newmarket was stable companion Hateem. Well tried last year, in nine runs his highlight was a G2 win at Goodwood in the Vintage. Richard says he saves it for the track doing nothing at home but refers to him as “hard as nails”. In fairness, he displayed that on the racecourse this year winning the Craven before his Guineas run.

Ballydoyle provides a trio of the home defense with River Tiber, Unquestionable, and Mountain Bear lining up. Ryan Moore rides the former, last year’s Coventry winner didn’t add to his tally thereafter, third to Vandeek in the Morny, when he looked in need of the run, he filled the same spot in the Middle Park again behind Vandeek.

All three were to contest the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf however the on-track vets ruled River Tiber out (who was the choice of Ryan Moore) the morning of the race. Ryan took over on Unquestionable and rode a masterful race up the inside where he’d a 1½L to spare over a fast-finishing Mountain Bear who ran a cracker having been trapped wide, he came with a great rattle to get up for second.

It’s not entirely a Ballydoyle defense with Joseph O’Brien running Atlantic Coast, Jack Davidson running Take Me To Church and Andy Oliver also contesting with Bright Stripes. Atlantic Coast had a nose to spare over Bright Stripes in the G3 Killavuallan Stakes at Leopardstown last October. Take Me To Church came through Maiden company in November at Dundalk then sluiced up in the Madrid Handicap at Naas in March.

The other pair made their seasonal debuts back at Leopardstown in April in the Guineas Trial with Take Me To Church also taking part. None of them fired with Take Me To Church finishing fourth and Atlantic Coast finishing second last and Bright Stripes finishing last. Bright Stripes put that run well behind when winning the Tetrarch Stakes here at the Curragh a couple of weeks ago. Let’s remember Paddington took the Madrid Handicap and Tetrarch before winning this last year.

Let’s hope we get a performance, a battle up the straight. Ryan Moore’s choice of River Tiber whom he clearly thought was better than Unquestionable at Santa Anita last year can put it up to Rosallion and he can prevail. Take Me To Church at a big price might also make the frame.

Recommendation

River Tiber 4/1 win

Take Me To Church 66/1 ew