-
O'Brien filly taking familiar route to Guineas
-
Luxembourg the pick in cracking Gold Cup
-
Drumroll looks banker material
The final day of the Irish Guineas meeting at the Curragh is probably the best of the lot in terms of overall quality and the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas (15:50) itself looks to present a good opportunity for Tahiyra to go one better than in the Newmarket equivalent.
There'll be plenty who'll be prepared to get stuck into Dermot Weld's filly at odds-on and it's easy to see why, with that runner-up finish behind Mawj comfortably the best form on offer.
However, it's also worth noting she had quite a hard race there returning from a layoff and is now asked to back up again in Group 1 company just three weeks later.
It wouldn't normally be Weld's modus operandi to turn one out as quickly as this at the top level and I must admit I'm a little surprised to see her in here, having fully expected her to be given a bit more time before running in the Coronation at Royal Ascot.
If she runs to that Guineas form she'll win, but when betting at odds-on you tend to need everything in your favour and I'm not absolutely convinced by Tahiyra given the short turnaround and am looking for an each-way play against her.
The one I'm most intrigued by in here is Aidan O'Brien's Jackie Oh, who's certainly bred for the job and is still open to plenty of improvement on just her third start.
This daughter of the excellent - if rather quirky - Jacqueline Quest only made her debut at Naas in March, taking the same maiden that the stable took with last year's Oaks winner Tuesday.
It's also worth noting that Ballydoyle's Empress Josephine took the same race the year before and went on to win the Irish 1000 Guineas having been beaten on in listed company in between.
That last point is worth bearing out because Jackie Oh herself was beaten in listed company last time, albeit she ran really well to finish second and this is beginning to look a tried and trusted route for some of Aidan O'Brien's best 3-y-o fillies.
Jackie Oh is clearly open to progression and while it would have been nice to see Ryan Moore on board, it would also have been a brave move for him to abandon the much more experienced Meditate, who's danced every dance at this level so far and appears to be the less risky option.
At double-figure prices, I'm more than willing to take a chance on Jackie Oh, who appears to have history on her side.
While the 1000 Guineas is top race in its own right, it could well be overshadowed by a cracking renewal of the Tattersalls Gold Cup (14:45), which sees three of the best middle-distance performers in Europe squaring off against each other.
Bay Bridge, Luxembourg and Vadeni all have interlocking form-lines and there's little to separate them on the book, though I'm more than willing to be guided by the betting here and Luxembourg looks the value of the trio.
You need to forgive his comeback run at this track last month, but I suspect that's easily done, as paddock watchers suggested he looked way short of peak fitness and he shaped in the race as if that was exactly the case.
I'm expecting last year's Irish Champion Stakes victor to come on a bundle for that pipe-opener and it's worth noting he had Vadeni back in third when taking that contest last autumn.
There's an argument to be made that Vadeni was a bit unlucky in the run there and he may well have got closer to the winner, but I'm not absolutely convinced he'd have beaten Luxembourg that day.
Both Bay Bridge and Vadeni shaped in France last time as they'd strip fitter for their comebacks too, though it was a concern for me how hard Bay Bridge pulled that day and he'll need to settle better in this small field if he's to finish off his race effectively.
My final selection won't be a big price, but I'd be surprised if Drumroll wasn't good enough to comfortably take care of his opposition in the Group 3 Heider Family Stables Gallinule Stakes at 16:25.
This son of Deep Impact is bred for middle-distances and I'm expecting him to improve markedly on his first two starts, both of which came at 1m.
Not that he'll need to improve much, if at all, to take this, with his form already being just about the best on offer, including when second to Irish 2000 Guineas contender Paddington last time.
A big run by that one on Saturday would obviously be a massive pointer to Drumroll's chances in here, but even if Paddington happened to bomb out, my confidence in the selection would be unwavering.