Tower Of London can prove class apart to take Irish Cesarewitch for Ryan Moore???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
There is no shortage of prize money up for grabs across this weekend at The Curragh and it says something that tomorrow’s €600,000 Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch (4.10) isn’t even the biggest pot on offer at the Kildare track.
It is the most intriguing contest of a busy weekend, though, and it’s not often that you see a Classic runner turning up just eight days after a creditable fourth in the English St Leger.
That’s the case this time around, however, and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Tower Of London is certainly the class angle in the race with age allowances meaning the 110-rated three-year-old has a seriously lively chance.
Providing that the Galileo colt’s exertions have not dented his enthusiasm or taken much juice from his legs, the Group One form which he brings to the table having chased home stablemate Continuous last weekend at Doncaster really stands out.
Ryan Moore makes a swift return from Australia, where he has a Group One ride at Rosehill today for Coolmore, and to be at The Curragh and drying ground in recent days should aid his cause.
The forecast downpours on race day is a worry as the Ulster Derby winner seems to prefer a firmer surface but the fact that he races off the same weight as Teed Up (9-11) while getting a few pounds from other leading fancies like Echoes In Rain (9-12) and Dawn Rising (10-0) makes him very appealing.
The 30-runner stamina test is a gruelling affair but Tower Of London’s class can rise to the top as Ballydoyle bid to take the Cesarewitch for the second year running, while Ocean Quest will take all the beating in the earlier Westgrove Hotel Renaissance Stakes (3.0).
Jessica Harrington’s filly ran away with a similar sprint at Naas last month and the daughter of Sioux Nation can continue her upward curve under Shane Foley.
Harrington will have eyes on Germany as well tomorrow with the Preis von Europa having an Irish flavour to it as Trevaunance chases the Group One prize in Cologne with Hollie Doyle in the saddle for the Kildare trainer.
With Moore busy Down Under, O’Brien has called up Frankie Dettori for a trio of mounts at The Curragh today and he partners red-hot favourite Cherry Blossom in the Goffs Million (3.40), where a staggering €1.23million is up for grabs.
There are six English raiders among the 23-strong juvenile field and it is hard to get a handle on all off the contenders given their unexposed nature but the Paddy Twomey-trained One Look may be worth much more attention than her name suggests.
Twomey really knows the time of day when it comes to two-year-olds, in particular, and the Gleneagles filly could ruffle some feathers on her racecourse debut with the Tipperary trainer rarely pitching up any his string in deep water unless he knows that they will swim.
Billy Lee’s mount can reward each-way punters while the Group Two Alan Smurfit Beresford Stakes (2.30) may be ripe for the picking of Stromberg, which is bidding for a hat-trick.
Joseph O’Brien’s juvenile was no match for a smart Noel Meade two-year-old on debut but the Iffraaj colt bounced back to score easily at Galway and Roscommon so there should be more to come under Mikey Sheehy.
