a day ago
Curragh Saturday tips and race card - list of runners for Pretty Polly Stakes
The Andrew Balding-trained Kalpana is expected to land the Group 1 Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
The only Group 1 winner in the field, the Juddmonte filly,– progressive last season – will be ridden for the first time by her owner's new retained rider Colin Keane and might prove too strong for her six rivals – which include two classy three-year-olds, Twirl and Wemightakedlongway.
A daughter of Study Of Man, Kalpana improved through the ranks last season, winning a Newmarket handicap off 78 in April, and ended her campaign with victory in the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Filly & Mares Stakes at Ascot in October, beating AidanO'Brien's Wingspan by two lengths.
In between, she finished third in Royal Ascot's Ribblesdale before making her stakes-race breakthrough in the listed Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton – which she followed up by proving a wide-margin winner of the Group 3 Unibet September Stakes at Kempton Park.
Her Ascot success, in soft ground, proved the filly's improvement. And on her 2025 seasonal debut, she performed creditably over this course and distance when, having led early, she stayed on late to finish third – beatena a length and a half behind Los Angeles and Anmaat in theTattersalls Gold Cup last month.
A Group winner over a mile and a half, Kalpana boasts rock-solid form over 10 furlongs and, having performed well against the boys last time, she should prove very tough to beat in this fillies-only contest.
The Nicolas Clement-trained Survie, a Group 2 winner, carries French hopes.
But the biggest threat to Kalpana should be O'Brien's Betfred Oaks runner-up Twirl, bidding to give her trainer a first Pretty Polly success since Minding in 2020.
A Group 3 winner last autumn and successful in the Musidora at York ahead of her Oaks bid, she forced the pace at Epsom and was only collared by stable-companion Minnie Hauk inside the final furlong – going down by just a neck.
Clearly progressive, Twirl boasts a rating of 113 and is a serious contender. But the older Kalpana is preferred.
Joseph O'Brien's Wemightakedlongway, a Group 3 winner in Navan before being beaten over five lengths when fifth in the Epsom Oaks, will have her supporters too, along with the Munster Oaks (Group 3) heroine Magical Hope, representing Paddy Twomey.
And Henry de Bromhead's Higher Leaves, successful at listed and Group 3 level in France last year, probably needs to step-up
Here's a list of the runners and riders, as well as a tip for each race:
1.15pm: 7f Barronstown Stud Irish EBF (C & G) Maiden (2yo)
1 Al Haarith (IRE) Dylan McMonagle2 All Hail (IRE) Billy Lee3 Benvenuto Cellini (IRE) Wayne Lordan4 Dorset (IRE) Ryan Moore5 Hamiyan (FR) Chris Hayes6 Jordi Bear (IRE) Seamie Heffernan7 Mr Vettori (IRE) Shane Foley8 New Zealand (IRE) Ronan Whelan9 Palace Tyne (IRE) James Ryan (3)10 South Island (IRE) Gavin Ryan11 Swinging The World (IRE) Ross Coakley12 The Holy Apostle (IRE) Luke McAteer13 Unbreakable Duke (IRE) K J Leonard
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Dorset
1.45pm: 6f Airlie Stud Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies) (2yo)
1 Artista (IRE) Dylan McMonagle2 Beautify (IRE) Ryan Moore3 Lady Iman (IRE) Colin Keane4 Leblon Queen (IRE) Chris Hayes5 Luna Mia Ronan Whelan6 Skydance Billy Lee
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Lady Iman
2.20pm: 6½f (6f63y) Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes (Group 3) (2yo)
1 Flushing Meadows (USA) Ryan Moore2 Killourney Reigns (IRE) Ben Coen3 Stop The Nation (IRE) James Ryan4 She's Too Kool (IRE) Rory Cleary5 Suzie Songs (IRE) Colin Keane
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Flushing Meadows
2.55pm: 1m2f Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai International Stakes In Honour Of Kevin Prendergast (Group 3) (3yo+)
1 Trustyourinstinct (IRE) Dylan McMonagle2 Deepone Billy Lee3 Layfayette (IRE) Colin Keane4 Elizabeth Jane (IRE) Chris Hayes5 Roosevelt Wayne Lordan6 Gotomylovely (IRE) Seamie Heffernan
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Trustyourinstinct
3.30pm: 1m2f Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes (Group 1) (Fillies & Mares) (3yo+)
1 Higher Leaves (IRE) Shane Foley2 Jancis (IRE) Ben Coen3 Kalpana Colin Keane4 Magical Hope Billy Lee5 Survie (IRE) Stephane Pasquier6 Wemightakedlongway (IRE) Dylan McMonagle7 Whirl (IRE) Ryan Moore
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Kalpana
4.05pm: 1m2f Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes Ladies Derby Handicap (4yo+)
1 Longbourn (IRE) Sorcha Woods (7)2 Masoun (FR) Elizabeth Gale (7)3 Final Voyage (IRE) Miss Georgie Benson (7)4 Bear Profit (IRE) Nicola Burns (7)5 Fiver Friday (IRE) Miss S A Carter (7)6 Solomon Sadhbh Tormey (7)7 Tatateo (IRE) Miss J Townend8 The Real Screamer (IRE) Miss A B O'Connor (3)9 Moonlit Mist (IRE) Neve Bennett (7)10 Secret World (IRE) C J Worrell (7)11 Loingseoir (IRE) Gabriella Hill (7)12 Hemight (IRE) Sylvia O'Donnell (7)13 Desert Friend (IRE) Miss H M Smullen (7)14 Breathe Again (IRE) R Donaghue-Leahy (7)
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Masoun
4.40pm: 6f Fitzpatrick's Mercedes-Benz Handicap (3yo+)
1 Daamberdiplomat (IRE) Ben Coen2 Collective Power (IRE) Colin Keane3 Jon Riggens (IRE) James Ryan (3)4 Back Down Under (IRE) Leigh Roche5 Brigid's Cloak P McGettigan (7)6 Airspeed (IRE) Sorcha Woods (7)7 Never Shout Never (IRE) J Kearney (3)8 Cold Hearted (IRE) Shane Foley9 Saturn Seven (IRE) Chris Hayes10 Gordon Bennett (IRE) Niall McCullagh11 Rappell (IRE) Dylan McMonagle12 Tawaazon (IRE) Keithen Kennedy (5)13 Manhattan Chute (IRE) Wayne Lordan14 Verified (IRE) R M Mulligan (7)
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Back Down Under
5.15pm: 6f Keadeen Hotel Irish EBF Maiden (3yo+)
1 Bennu (IRE) Leigh Roche2 Best Suggestion (IRE) Gary Carroll3 Colter Bay (FR) A Browne-Souza (10)4 Describe Donagh O'Connor5 Dreaminthejungle (IRE) James Ryan (3)6 Eichan San (IRE) Ronan Whelan7 Men Of Honour (IRE) Andy Slattery8 Naples (IRE) Billy Lee9 Radient Man (IRE) Shane Foley10 Sun Soldier (IRE) Ben Coen11 Washington Street (IRE) Colin Keane12 Angel Of Promise (IRE) Joseph Sheridan13 Charasson (IRE) Seamie Heffernan14 Grown Ups (IRE) R M Mulligan (7)15 Lady Crossing (IRE) Gavin Ryan16 Mise Freisin (IRE) Chris Hayes17 Stella Alpina (IRE) Nathan Crosse18 Suerte (IRE) Rory Cleary
Peter O'Hehir's tip: Sun Soldier
