Kildare Racing: High quality entries for Curragh feature races this weekend

Pictures from day one of the Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend at The Curragh Racecourse in Kildare. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

The Curragh stages racing this Saturday and Sunday with a high quality eight race programme on both days.

Saturday is “Future Champions” Day with some of the leading juvenile fillies and colts among the entries, following their publication this morning.

Aidan O’Brien has won the Wootton Bassett Futurity Stakes a remarkable fifteen times and is set to be represented in the Group 2 contest by Henry Longfellow and Henry Adams, while Mountain Bear, Portland and Navy Seal also feature among the ten colts entered in the race.

Other contenders are the Joseph O’Brien trained Islandsinthestream and Warnie, Spanish Flame trained by Ger Lyons and the Paddy Twomey trained Deepone, while last Saturday’s Group 1 winning trainer Adrian Murray has entered Courageous Strike.

Chesham Stakes winner Snellen is one of thirteen fillies entered in the Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes. The Group 2 contest has also attracted Pearls and Rubies, Sakti, Vespertilio, Dollerina and Betula, while Niarchos Racing, who sponsor the race, rely on the Jessica Harrington trained Mysteries.

Sunday’s Fitzdares Royal Whip Stakes has attracted seventeen entries for the historic Group 3 contest. These include Epsom Derby third White Birch, Proud and Regal, Indian Wish, Knight to King, Shayzann, Lumiere Rock and Unless, recent winner of the Michael John Kennedy Memorial Stakes

British based trainers are set to have a strong team in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial with multiple stakes race winner Yibir trained by Charlie Appleby and English St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov among the fifteen entries. Leading home trained contenders include Okita Soushi, Shamida, Dawn Rising, and recent Leopardstown winner Waltham.

Entries

Ground

Following 3.5 mm of rain since Sunday, the ground on both tracks is good, good to yielding in places.

Forecast

Mainly dry with rain forecasted on Friday

Track

Racing on middle track with stalls in centre for all sprints

Getting to the races

The Curragh offer a FREE shuttle bus service from Newbridge, picking up at the train station and outside Eddie Rockets in the Main Street and from Kildare, picking up at the train station and in the Square at the bus stop.