Antepost Racing Tips: Two Classic Curragh picks for the weekend at 33/1 and 12/1

Haydock, 16:29, Temple Stakes - Back Washington Heights EW @ 20/121.00

Night Raider's Group 3 Palace House victory at Newmarket was long overdue. He's a sprinter with paint-stripping pace, who landed a good prize, but whether we can trust him to back up that performance in a rather woeful division is anyone's guess.

The 4/15.00 on Night Raider does nothing for me.

The Temple Stakes is effectively a rematch of the same batch of sprinters and, if Asfoora is primed and ready to improve on her Newmarket reappearance behind Night Raider, she is the class act and the one true constant with the speedsters.

However, back at Haydock and one of the fastest 5f, Washington Heights just looks overpriced here at 20/121.00.

A more natural talent as a sprinter you will not find, as he can line up with just about the best of them. His problem has often been seeing out a race and he was spanked twice last year behind Asfoora at the back-end of the season. He finished well beaten behind Night Raider last time.

The return to Haydock could be the spark to ignite him into life.

Twelve months ago, in a Temple Stakes won by Mgheera, he finished third and was tanking up until the 3f marker - running two usually fast early sub 11.00 second sectionals.

I fear he done too much for a race set up for closer, and hopefully a drier end to the week will keep the ground on the good side.

The race looks anyone's, and with Mgheera a little too short at 7/18.00 to defend her crown, we might see a better effort from Washington Heights, who failed to fire behind Night Raider last time. But he was held up and the run looked a nice opener for this.

Saturday, 15:40, Curragh, Irish 2000 Guineas - Back Italy EW @ 33/134.00

The bid for Bow Echo to become a two-time Guineas winner was scuppered earlier this month, which leaves the door more than ajar for Gstaad to win this weekend's Classic in Ireland. But a 4/111.36 price is not something we can deal in, even if the column has lacked a winner in the last couple of weeks.

If you like following stable form, Charlie Appleby's Notable Speech winning the Lockinge at the weekend was a perfect boost and his King's Trail looks a big price at 25/126.00. But running so soon after the Dante would be highly unlikely.

I have been interested in Italy since his fourth in the Ballysax last month and he looks too big in price at 33/134.00. Whether he lines up or not is the poser as usual with Ballydoyle, but he is worth perhaps the risk at the odds.

He tried 1m2f at Leopardstown in yielding conditions in the Ballysax, and it looked a race, nay a card, where it was quite difficult to make up ground from the rear.

Italy wore a hood for the first time too. He settled better for the new trip and subsequently made up late strides on the wrong part of the track. The fact he's back down in distance to possibly his optimum means he is a runner.

Much shorter in the betting is Thesecretadversary, whom Italy beat on debut last year on good ground, and yet here we are dealing with a price five times bigger.

Sunday, Curragh, 16:30, Irish 1000 Guineas: Back Drop Dead Gorgeous EW @ 12/113.00

Precise at 7/42.75 is a little shorter on the antepost book than the Newmarket 1000 Guineas winner True Love at 2/13.00 and Aidan O'Brien appears to have the Irish Classic for the fillies sewn up.

O'Brien won the race 12 months ago with Lake Victoria to end a mini-drought of three years. He has nine of them in the bag since 2001.

Sorting out O'Brien's fillies is never easy, but Drop Dead Gorgeous is worth an interest at 12/113.00.

Her run last time in the Group 3 Athasi didn't go her way. She was drawn in one, with the eventual winner and second drawn much wider in nine and 11, and she suffered for that, as the pace on the outside swarmed her and she was in behind a lot of horses.

She eventually got out, and then lost her action or momentum on the inside of Black Caviar Gold, but picked up a second wind to finish strongly.

Drop Dead Gorgeous ran a faster final furlong at 12.52 than the winner and runner-up.

O'Brien intimated in a brilliant chat with Fran Berry on RTV this week, that the race is under consideration but also said the key is not to rush her as she'll go on the autumn ground as well (thanks Aidan!).

It seemed the trainer still thought she was a little babyish at the Curragh.

To my trained eye, she looks an enormous filly, typical of a Dubawi and her mother You'resothrilling (a descendant of the great Storm Cat) has produced nine runners as a broodmare. All nine have won races.

You will not see a better set of parents than Drop Dead Gorgeous' folks and it's a case of seeing if O'Brien rolls the dice as it appears 50/50 with her taking her spot.

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