A New Chapter Begins On Irish Derby Weekend

[Wandering Eyes]

Now that the Derby and Royal Ascot are in the rearview mirror, it is time for Flat Season Part 2 and that begins at The Curragh this weekend. Every year, there is a distinct shift that follows the high-pressure action on Epsom Downs and Berkshire as the summer envelops all and the paths open up for the various movements of the main players over the next weeks.

While Sunday's Irish Derby is the key event of the next two days, the most notable change in tempo is with the 2-year-olds now that the speed tests of the Royal meeting are done and dusted. Saturday's G3 Anglesey Stakes sees Ballydoyle's exciting son of Wootton Bassett, Flushing Meadows, take centre stage in one of the few races in which Aidan does not current hold the record. For the time being, that still rests with Dr Vincent O'Brien, whose list of 13 include the revered Nijinsky, Roberto and Storm Bird.

Opening Saturday's Curragh card is a key maiden for Ballydoyle, with the seven-furlong Barronstown Stud Irish EBF Maiden now a time-honoured Classic pointer and window into the stable's pecking order. It is the one that City Of Troy took two years ago, the one that played host to Rip Van Winkle, Gleneagles, Roderic O'Connor, Duke Of Marmalade, Horatio Nelson and Lambourn's sire Australia. Ryan Moore is on Dorset, another Wootton Bassett who is grey like his dual Guineas-winning relative Winter, with two newcomers joining in including Peter Brant's colour-bearer Benvenuto Cellini, a son of Frankel and Newspaperofrecord. Get ready for 2,000 Guineas moves if either of these impress.

Saturday's feature is the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes, where Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) takes part in her King George prep confronted by the Oaks runner-up Whirl (Wootton Bassett) in a fascinating clash of the generations, while the six-furlong G2 Airlie Stud Stakes sees the O'Callaghans' unbeaten Lady Iman look to extend her record.

At Newcastle, where Saturday's action revolves around the marathon Northumberland Plate, the handicap better known as the “Pitmen's Derby”, Wathnan Racing's Kind Of Blue (Blue Point) bids to get back on track in the G3 Chipchase Stakes having blown the start on his comeback in Chantilly's G3 Prix du Gros-Chene. James Fanshawe and the Wathnan team are hoping that proves an aberration and not a sign of things to come as last year's G1 British Champions Sprint Stakes hero is very much one of the country's leading sprinters.

“We left Ascot behind in favour of coming here to hopefully give him a chance to start his season properly and we're looking forward to seeing him run,” Wathnan's racing adviser Richard Brown explained. “I think the July Cup will come too soon, but we will see how this goes before making any firm plans. At the moment, we want to see Kind Of Blue show us he's as good as he was on Champions Day last year. All the signs are positive and he's been working very well but he's got to go and show it on the racecourse.”

Also on Saturday, York stages the G3 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Criterion Stakes for the first time, with the seven-furlong contest moved from Newmarket to serve as a prep for the newly-promoted G1 City Of York Stakes in August. Always alive to big opportunities in his native county, William Haggas saddles No Nay Never's Lake Forest. You know, the one that beat Lazzat in the Golden Eagle. After Royal Ascot, that looks an even mightier achievement than it did at the time. Amazingly, this is only his third run at or around this trip which is threatening to break out of its former “niche” categorisation and give all those “in-betweeners” the chance to shine at the highest level.

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