While major flat racing competitions may be scarce this weekend, it’s clear just how much this sport has grown globally. Over the weekend, three Group Three titles will be contested at the Curragh with another one at Tipperary happening a day later. The main prize at HQ is the Paddy Power Supporting Cancer Trials Irish Cambridgeshire, which carries a value of €100,000.
Nevertheless, these prizes are relatively small compared to the rewards that Irish contenders aim to win at the US’s Kentucky Downs track on Saturday evening. This track, America’s only turf-exclusive course, borders Tennessee and is not usually home to significant US races, let alone heavyweights from Europe. However, thanks to revenue from a local casino, Kentucky Downs can now offer nearly $37 million (€33m) in total prize money at their recent series of meetings.
Jospeh O’Brien’s horse, Stromberg, has been entered for Saturday night’s Nashville Derby Invitational, which offers a base reward of $2 million, rising to $3.1 million for Kentucky-bred horses fulfilling specific conditions.
In the same vein, Michael O’Callaghan’s Richmond Stakes champion, Black Forza, meets such conditions and will compete for a $1 million pot in Sunday’s National Thoroughbred League Juvenile Sprint. Dylan Browne McMonagle, who previously rode Black Forza to a Group Two victory at Goodwood, will maintain his ride and also be partnered with Stromberg.
With such enormous prize money offered, it’s not uncommon to see some of America’s premier trainers and jockeys making their way to the border of Kentucky and Tennessee. This includes Frankie Dettori, who will join with Andrew Balding’s Bellum Justum in the Derby, to be aired live on Sky at 10.16pm Irish-time.
In June, he came seventh in the Epsom Derby behind City Of Troy and was followed by Stromberg who secured the third position in his latest race at Deauville. The contender from Ireland currently has odds of 6-1 at the local Morning Line gambling stage. Ancient Rome, rode by Jamie Spencer, emerged as the winner at the racecourse last year, and he is now on the saddle for the ex-Ballydoyle horse, Navy Seal, for the 10-furlong extra race.
The kidney-shaped grass track, one of only two in North America with a right turn – the other being Santa Anita’s downhill turf path – is perhaps the most resembling to a European racecourse in America. For some time now, Kentucky Downs has been on O’Callaghan’s radar. “It’s challenging to overlook the prize money at a certain point. The race which Black Forza is competing in is worth four times more than the usual races back in our country,” O’Callaghan shared with the local press.
Meanwhile, despite being quite a distance from the well-known Paris tracks, the Craon racecourse in northwest France has piqued the interest of the Irish on Saturday as well. Aidan O’Brien has put forward his two-year-old horse Lambourn for a Listed contest where Christophe Soumillon will ride him, and Tony Piccone, this year’s French Derby victorious jockey, will pair up with Edward O’Grady’s Ecureuil Secret in the later €60,000 Listed Grand Prix de Craon.
On Sunday, O’Brien will shift his gaze back onto France when the added on Treasure Isle competes for the Group Three Prix D’arenberg (commencing at 12.45) in Longchamp. Ryan Moore will travel to Paris to ride him and will also mount Mother Nature in the subsequent Listed challenge. Soumillon will ride Lily Hart, another horse from the same stable.
Before this, Moore will have returned to Curragh for six rides, a week after securing four triumphs from four rides at the Headquarters to reach a total of 50 wins for the season in Ireland. As Browne McMonagle is occupied in America, Moore takes over for the Cambridgeshire spin on Wigmore Street, though his primary focus at Curragh remains on Ballydoyle’s powerful juvenile team.
/”Ides Of March scored an admirable victory covering course and distance earlier in the month, setting him forth as the contender to watch out for in the Round Tower Stakes. At the same time, Dreamy celebrated a triumphant first race at Goodwood, preparing to participate in the Newtownanner Stud Stakes. Acapulco Bay equally appears a formidable competitor in the opening maiden race.
Willie Mullins, the accomplished racehorse trainer, has entered Icare Desbois into the Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland Charity Race, a thrilling end to the Curragh’s day of races.
Before this, on Saturday, his attention will be on Absurde, the champion hurdler and Ebor victor, comfortably racing on familiar terrain at Chester in a Listed competition, with Danny Tudhope steering the reins.
The main event at home on Sunday is Tipperary’s Fairy Bridge Stakes, set to provide an excellent advance in Super Sox’s progressing career. Paddy Twomey’s filly has shown promising performances on her two most recent races at Cork, and firm turf could support her in stepping up to Group Three, against seven competitors that count Matilda Picotte among them.”/