Irish Derby Festival Insights: Key Winners and Future Stars to Watch The Curragh hosted a three-day fixture last weekend and it finished with Sunday’s Irish Derby card. There were 24 races in total and a number of the winners will be worth keeping an eye on. Here we pick out some of the more significant ones and consider some potential future targets, including the winners of both Group 1 contests who have any number of options open to them now. Midnite Betting Offer If you already have a Midnite account, check out more of the best betting sites and casino bonuses Friday Friday’s card didn’t blow anyone away but there were a couple of interesting juvenile maidens that could be worth following. Learntodiscover finished third behind a couple of Aidan O’Brien horses on debut and Ger Lyons’ colt gained his revenge by getting the better of Ballydoyle’s Puerto Rico. Learntodiscover will probably have to go up in grade and perhaps find a Listed contest somewhere, or connections can wait for a nursery. As for Puerto Rico, there were enough positives from that runners-up effort and he will surely be winning races before long on that evidence. Saturday Aidan O’Brien won the opening maiden on Saturday with Dorset and he looks like one to follow. Doing it the hard way out in front, the opposition had no answer to his powerful performance and the one-and-a-half-length winning margin underestimates how much he had in hand that day. City Of Troy won this very maiden two years ago and whilst Dorset won’t be up to his level, he’s certainly one to watch in higher grades from now on. Connections could gradually step him up in grade by targeting a 7f Group 3 next but he wouldn’t look out of place at even higher levels. Beautify managed to further strengthen O’Brien’s stranglehold on the juvenile division, as she took a massive step forward to take the scalp of Lady Iman in the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes. A step up in trip wouldn’t be a problem for her and she looks like a potential Debutante/Moyglare type after her impressive performance at the Curragh. Ger Lyons’ Suzie Songs turned over the hot favourite in the Anglesey Stakes over an extended 6f and you would imagine the Moyglare is also a potential target for her later on this season. It’s impressive that she managed to beat the boys and the daughter of Starspangledbanner is one for your trackers. Whirl was last seen finishing second by a neck in the Oaks, after making all the running, and gamely hung in there to give stablemate Minnie Hauk an almighty fight. That tenacity was on show once again in the Pretty Polly as she fought off four-year-old Kalpana to win gamely. Connections will probably want to keep her and Minnie Hauk apart because both are Group 1 fillies, but any middle-distance race will be open to Whirl after that performance. Returning to 1m4f will be no issue so you can pencil her in for the Yorkshire Oaks and maybe even a stab at the Arc in October. Sunday There were plenty of handicaps on the card but the Irish Derby was the big one. Lambourn proved his Epsom success was no fluke by joining the list of O’Brien’s dual Derby winners. He didn’t give Ryan Moore too easy a time but there was plenty left in the tank and a little break could be in order for the three-year-old. The St leger at Doncaster could be a suitable target, as he shapes like a strong stayer and has most of the other contenders covered on form. Races like the King George and the Arc could also be on the agenda but victory there would be much less likely.
