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Once again the €300,000 contest has attracted strong British representation which is headed by Ralph Beckett’s Bluestocking alongside the John and Thady Gosden-trained Emily Upjohn.
The Juddmonte owned Bluestocking was a narrow runner-up in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks last year, while Emily Upjohn was forced to miss her intended engagement in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks two years ago but is on course to tackle Saturday’s fascinating Group 1 contest.
John Gosden, who won the race 30 years ago with Del Deya and subsequently with Dar Re Mi and Izzi Top, commented: “In fairness to Emily Upjohn we trained her in the winter to go to Dubai and that doesn’t agree with a lot of fillies.
“We let her down in April and she really did herself well. I was having a little trouble getting her back in the zone again and she very much needed her race in the Coronation Cup. She was carrying plenty of weight and condition, but she worked well on the July Course and she’ll head for what looks like a very competitive edition of the Pretty Polly.”
Another Curragh Group 1
Ralph Beckett is hoping to add another major Curragh Group 1 race to his record having won the 2022 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby with Westover and Beckett is excited about the prospect of returning to the Curragh with Bluestocking.
“It’s all systems go all things being equal,” the trainer confirmed. “She’s in good shape and I have been very pleased with her since York.
“We were very keen to stick with running against her own sex and it’s what the race is written for, these fillies running to take each other on and we’ll be looking forward to doing exactly that. We are looking forward to it.”
Five of the eight runners in the Cairn Community Games Pretty Polly Stakes are British-trained. The Hughie Morrison-trained Stay Alert, who won the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend, is a notable inclusion alongside the Sir Mark Prescott-trained Tasmania and the Charlie Johnston-trained Francophone who scored at Goodwood last time.
Competeing with his father
Joseph O’Brien will seek a third win in the race as a trainer when saddling Lumiere Rock and Maxux, while his father Aidan relies on Content.
The Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes has attracted 10 juvenile fillies including the Aidan O’Brien-trained East Mover, January and Truly Enchanting.
Trainer Adrian Murray has booked the services of American Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez for Varner, with the Westmeath-based trainer also saddling California Dreamer in the six-furlong contest.
Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas winning trainer Karl Burke has booked Chris Hayes to ride the hat-trick seeking Bolster in the Group 3 Al Basti Equiworld International Stakes.
Course and distance winner Jan Brueghel represents Aidan O’Brien, while the 104-rated Self Belief will represent local trainer Willie McCreery.
Blackmore is taking over
Rachael Blackmore will ride top weight Good Heavens for trainer Joseph O’Brien in the Kildare Village Ladies Derby for which 14 runners are set to go to post.
The Black Tiger will represent the mother and daughter duo of Frances Crowley and Hannah Smullen.
Racing on Saturday begins with the Barronstown Stud Irish EBF Maiden in which Aidan O’Brien is set to introduce Rock Of Cashel, a half-brother to Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner Snowfall.
Recent Curragh winner Red Letter Bray will look to score again for trainer Liam Cusack in the Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes Handicap which also features the three time Curragh winner Laugh A Minute.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Galen will look to make it third time lucky at the Curragh in the Molton Brown EBF Median Auction Maiden while day two of Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby weekend will draw to a close with the La Celia Wines Irish EBF Maiden in which Arnaman will make his debut for Ken Condon after finishing second on debut at Dundalk.
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