Thursday Irish Racing Tips: Four to side with at Leopardstown

Although things have generally been low key in both the UK and Ireland this week, Leopardstown provides us with an excellent pre-Epsom card on Thursday evening, where a pair of listed races take centre stage, ably supported by some competitive handicaps.

We'll start with the 1m Leopardstown Summer Shindig (17:40), where I'm hoping the lightly raced Dark Note can prove ahead of a mark of 74 for the Joseph O'Brien team.

With just four runs under his belt, I suspect we've not yet seen the best of this son of Night Of Thunder, who made a promising debut when finishing fourth at Tipperary back in October before disappointing in three subsequent starts.

I'm more than happy to accept something just wasn't right when he ended up well beaten at Dundalk after his debut, and it's interesting that connections were keen to step him up in trip this year, a move that doesn't seem to have worked.

He probably needed his comeback run at Navan, while he shaped like a blatant non-stayer when stepping up to 1m 5f for his handicap debut at Sligo last time, proving strong in the betting before running out of stamina in the final couple of furlongs.

This drop back to a mile should show Dark Note to much better effect and I'd be hopeful of a big run.

Patrick should be cherry-ripe now

I'm sticking with Joseph O'Brien in the 1m 1f Listed Glencairn Stakes (18:15), where his Patrick Sarsfield is taken to bounce back to his best following a couple of creditable efforts so far this year.

A smart performer on his day, he was good enough to win a Group 3 over this C&D in 2020 before going to finish a good third to Barney Roy at the top level in Germany on his next start.

Although he didn't get his head in front last season, Patrick Sarsfield ran some very good races in defeat, including when a narrow second to Juan Elcano in the Wolferton at Royal Ascot.

He was a little outclassed in the Irish Champion Stakes after, and did finish his season rather tamely, though there have been more signs of life in his first two outings so far this year, both of which should have put him spot-on for this assignment.

Cadillac rates the main danger, though I'm confident Patrick Sarsfield is a better horse if they both show up with their 'A' games, and he'll do for me in a race that probably lacks a bit of depth.

Probing the each-way market

The next selection is a good deal more speculative and comes in the 1m 1f 'HRI Equuip' People Behind The Moments Handicap at 18:50.

Juddmonte-owned Probe looked a highly promising individual when bolting up by 7 lengths in a maiden at Killarney last May and confirmed that initial promise when following up in a Listowel conditions event on his next start.

It's probably fair to say that it wasn't all plain sailing afterwards as we didn't see Dermot Weld's son of Kingman again until a Cork Handicap in April, where he faded as if in need of the run.

His most recent outing in a strong handicap at the Curragh didn't provide much more encouragement, though it's worth noting Probe was sent off at big odds there so it's likely not too much was expected anyway.

If he's going to recapture that early promise it will be in a race such as this, which represents a drop in grade from his last contest, while the application of a first-time visor might well serve to perk him up also.

It's been a while since the stable had a winner but plenty of the yard's horses have run well enough to suggest it's only a matter of time before they're back firing on all cylinders again.

I'm going to take an each-way stab at this one at what should be a decent price.

Promising Martinstown to remain unbeaten

The case for Martinstown in the 1m 4f Listed King George V Cup (19:20) is much more straightforward, with Aidan O'Brien's well-bred son of Galileo taken to build on a promising Cork maiden win on debut last month.

Bred to be a smart performer, Martinstown overcame inexperience to get off the mark in the manner of an above-average prospect there, racing in mid-division and pushed along before the penny finally dropped, staying on to lead close home.

Where Ballydoyle runners are concerned, it can be something of a red herring to check future entries as plenty of their well-bred sorts get put into the good races, though it's probably worth mentioning that Martinstown is in the King Edward at Royal Ascot and the Curragh Cup, to add to entries in the Irish Derby and Irish St Leger.

He'll obviously need to take a race such as this handsomely if he's to be pitching up and being competitive in any of those aforementioned contests, but he should improve markedly on that debut run and will take plenty of stopping under Ryan Moore if that's the case.