Four Horses To Follow At The Curragh On Sunday

The first Group One contest on the Sunday at the Curragh is the Flying Five Stakes and in this sprint contest over five furlongs we fancy the favourite Soffia.

This four year old filly has just got better and better with each run this season having five starts, winning her last three and having a good second at the start of her career.

Her last two performances have been her best by far when scoring over six furlongs at the Curragh in a Group Three contest and then last time out winning over course and distance landing the Group Two Sapphire Stakes that makes her the one to beat in this.

The second black type contest of the afternoon comes in the Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs and in this race just for fillies it looks highly competitive.

However, we have sided with the Jessica Harrington trained Albigna who looks the star of the two year olds at the Harrington yard and will be looking to keep her unbeaten run.

She has raced twice in her career winning nicely on debut over six furlongs at the Curragh and backed that up in a Group Two over the same course and distance and the step up to seven furlong looks like it will suit her even more.

One of the British bankers on the second day of the Irish Champions weekend comes in the Group one National Stakes over seven furlongs but Pinatubo looks the stand out two year old of the season.

The two year old colt out of Sharmadal started his career off at Wolverhampton in May and romped to the victory in an easy contest, he then went to Epsom for his turf debut and looked even better landing a Class 2 Conditions race coming from off the pace to score nicely.

From those two runs he held a huge amount of potential stepping into the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot but he was facing his biggest test against some really smart juveniles, however he went on to break the two year old course record over seven furlongs

His next venture was into Group Two company at Glorious Goodwood when landing the Vintage Stakes in what was his best win to date, drawing well clear of the second and third place who have since gone on to win and making a clear statement in the juvenile division.

He looks the one to beat in his first run a Group One but it would take something very special to beat Charlie Appleby's juvenile.

The final horse to follow at the Curragh on Sunday is another of Charlie Appleby's runners and it is the well known Cross Counter in the Irish St Leger.

The four year old at the back end of last season became the first British horse to land the Melbourne Cup down under in an amazing last gasp performance.

Since then he started this year off at Meydan in the Dubai Gold Cup where he romped to victory but since then he has found a few to good back in England.

Twice now he has finished behind Stradivarius and Dee Ex Bee in the Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup which is good form overall and now in a different field of runners over his ideal trip he should make his presence known.