Irish Derby Festival betting tips, preview and odds: Aidan O'Brien has favourites for Derby and Curragh Cup as fields confirmed
Curragh hosts the Irish Derby this weekend just after Royal Ascot and there's more thrilling Group contests to feature in the spectacular flat meeting.
The Irish Derby festival takes place on 24th June until the 26th June, but Saturday is when the big event takes place, with the winner taking home €570,000.
Royal Ascot is still in the thick of the runnings but it's certainly tempting to look over some ante-post odds and many runners at Ascot will be making the trip to Ireland in the next fortnight.
Only eight runners are heading to Curragh for the Irish Derby though, with Westover just pipped to favouritism by Aidan O'Brien's filly Tuesday.
Curragh Cup Betting Tip
Gear Up at 6/1
There are also only eight runners for this 1m6f Group 2 contest held on Friday evening.
Wordsworth is the clear favourite and will be ridden by Royal Ascot's top jockey Ryan Moore.
The colt has won at Curragh before and also over this distance but at 2/1 doesn't appeal the most having been over 4l behind in his last two outings over different trips.
He also finished well behind in a Group 3 over this course and distance in August to Twilight Payment.
With Temple Of Artemis a non-runner, it's worth looking at the two Joseph Patrick O'Brien entries whose runners have been flying recently.
The first, is Master Of Reality who has been quite far back on his last three runs including here over 1m4f.
But the 4yo Gear Up looks the one to back over the two favourites in the betting who has run over a maximum of 1m2f so far this season and a step up to 1m6f should suit well.
This is an open Curragh Cup with only two of the seven having won over this distance before and there could well be a surprise among the field who haven't fired in places and wins over the last year.
Manu Et Corde looked to appreciate the distance in his last run and is well-weighted to try an mount a challenge as the outsider.
Irish Derby ante-post betting tip
Westover 7/4
Westover is now joint-favourite with late entry Tuesday for Aidan O'Brien.
But the former could make all purely based on the colt's performance in behind Desert Crown at Epsom it's no surprise to see the odds that short after being an outsider last time out.
Westover still looks the one to beat over the only filly of the field, Tuesday, who won by a short head in the Oaks to favourite Emily Upjohn.
And she's been involved in all her trips in incredible contests, The Oaks, 1000 Guineas and Irish 1000 Guineas.
As the race nears it's possible the odds for O'Brien's filly by Galileo will be shortened in price and it's certainly worth keeping a forecast to hand in case she keeps herself in contention at Curragh again over 1m4f.
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