IRISH 2000 Guineas winners are a mixed bag, some stars of the sport, others more forgettable, and 2024 might fall into the first category.

It looks a strong running for the moment, the placed horses at Newmarket each going one better, the third a Coventry winner.

Rosallion hardly won as an odds-on shot should, having just a neck to spare, but he overcame adversity; have been very keen early, Sean Levey took him back to get him settled but gave up track position as a result which meant he had a lot to do, and at points in the last three furlongs it looked as though there was too much ground to get back.

Per Course Track sectionals, he covered each of the last three furlongs faster than anything in the field despite the leaders quickening, and his record so far – bar one run on soft ground – has been one of constant progression.

Notable Speech may have beaten him a length and half when they met at Newmarket, but he was having his fourth run of 2024 at that point and Rosallion has every chance of reversing form.

Flattered

Haatem was likely flattered by the margin of defeat have been well-ridden close to the pace, but he is the type that might be underrated in the betting for the rest of the summer, suffering by comparisons to Rosallion and a lengthy juvenile career that saw him beaten seven times.

He is a different horse since stepping up to a mile and while not as talented as Rosallion, the pair give off Dick Turpin/Canford Cliff vibes, Dick Turpin able to win two Group 1s despite being in the shadow of his stablemate.

Aidan O’Brien reckoned River Tiber was the most forward of his three runners, and he travelled well before finishing off his race adequately despite connections voicing concerns about his stamina beforehand.

This sets all involved a puzzler: did he stay too well to think about the Commonwealth Cup? Is the St James’s Palace on the cards even though they have Henry Longfellow for that race? Perhaps the Jersey is the best compromise but whatever race he goes for there should be improvement for this run.

1000 Guineas

Fallen Angel won the 1000 Guineas on Sunday and gave British trainers a fourth winner over the weekend; whisper it quietly, but the raiders seem strong at the moment, and this should only encourage more runners to travel.

Karl Burke’s filly had bits and pieces of excuses for her disappointing run at Newmarket but came roaring back to form here, well-positioned relative to the closers but strong at the line, looking very genuine despite an unusual head carriage.

Opera Singer will surely build on her third having had a troubled preparation this spring, her trainer stating strongly beforehand that the run would be needed, while Queen Of Thunder, the complete outsider of the field at 125/1, is worth a mention for her seventh-place finish.

Having her first run since September, she took a big step forward and there seemed no fluke about it, one of few to get involved from off the pace and looking like further would suit, the mile and slow ground bringing her stamina into play.

The other Group 1 of the weekend, the Tattersalls Gold Cup, suggested that – under certain circumstances at least – White Birch is a better horse than Auguste Rodin, something that would have seemed unlikely judged on their two meetings as three-year-olds.

Ideal preparation

White Birch had lots in his favour here – an ideal preparation into the race with two recent wins at the track, soft ground that he relishes – but even so he may just have improved a chunk this year, looking a more physically imposing sort than the second.

Auguste Rodin was well-beaten and in ways it was more disappointing than his blowouts last season; the ultimate OXO horse, at least then his Xs were wins but here he had no in race excuses, moving strongly to lead turning in but just beaten by a better horse on day, allowing that he would prefer better ground.

Royal Ascot could provide redemption, and the Prince Of Wales’s has more prestige than the Tattersalls Gold Cup, but he did not show up at the track in last year’s King George so that is another concern.

Connections of White Birch, on the other hand, will be dreaming right now and it will be interesting to see if they drive on into the summer or take a break and wait for softer ground in the autumn.

IT was mentioned here last week that the Curragh is the Irish track that has produced by far the most Royal Ascot winners recently, so it is tempting to look for potential winners there in last weekend’s results.

The juveniles are the obvious place to start but perhaps the absentees had their claims boosted more than the ones that ran; Arizona Blaze provided a boost to the form of Whistlejacket in winning an ordinary Marble Hill, albeit that the Adrian Murray horse was given an easy time ahead of his second start.

A couple of Ballydoyle two-year-old maiden winners, Henri Matisse and Heavens Gate, might be more long-term prospects, the turnaround to Ascot in mid-June on the tight side.

One horse to keep in mind for the Royal meeting might be the older handicapper, Saturn. He was again strong in the market ahead of his run on Saturday, as he has been when winning on return at Leopardstown, but on this occasion a steadily-run race didn’t test his stamina enough.

Keeping on

Shane Foley tried to make it a test from the front on the Harrington runner but there was only so fast he could go without a lead and having been outpaced early in the straight, he was keeping on again late to finish third.

The runner-up Deakin looks the obvious one for Ascot given he travelled smoothly off a break but Saturn could be missed in the market and should be ideally suited by the sort of strongly run race the meeting can produce, his dam Alpha Centauri having produced her signature performance there in the 2018 Coronation Stakes.

Actor on track for some more Curragh awards?

THERE was plenty of chat about the success of prominent racers over Guineas weekend, and whatever about Saturday and Sunday, there seemed a strong bias at play on Friday, where six of the eight winners were to the fore throughout, and only one winner came from behind.

When horses like Hurricane Ivor, seemingly best over six furlongs on soft ground, are winning at seven furlongs on fast going, it is time to ask questions regarding the worth of the form.

The sole hold-up horse to win on the evening was State Actor, who must surely have been well-handicapped and might yet still be off his new mark of 94; not only was he winning this against a bias but also while stepping into a premier handicap for his first start outside maidens.

More winners

There are any number of options for a horse like him, but the Curragh will likely be on the agenda again, given his trainer Bill Farrell has had more of his winners there than at any other track in the last 15 years.

The aforementioned Hurricane Ivor race was dominated by those ridden forward, the first four all up there throughout, but a few ridden off the pace caught the eye.

The fifth Expressova was an impressive winner on debut for Joseph O’Brien at Gowran but got no cover out wide here and likely did well in the circumstances. The seventh Blanc De Noir was held up even further back and had no chance from his position.

He was fastest of all in the final three furlongs and has a race in him under more favourable conditions.