Key Takeaways from The Curragh This Weekend It was a big afternoon at the Curragh on Saturday with the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes as the star attraction on a quality card. The hot favourite True Love was turned over in that contest, Aidan O'Brien's filly seemingly finishing lame as Power Blue scored another notable win for trainer Adrian Murray in the Amo Racing colours. We've been looking over the Curragh action and picked out some runners that might be worth following next time out. Greek Flower John Feane's mare Greek Flower ran a decent race when finishing fifth in the hands of Shane Foley in the Neville Homes Handicap over five furlongs. She was held up at the rear and ran on pleasingly late on without troubling the principals, though she was denied only about two lengths at the line in a valuable contest worth €21,000 to the winner. Twice a winner on turf over 5f/6f with plenty of give in the ground, the six-year-old has made the frame in a further eight of 23 turf starts. She hit a ratings-high of 87 last year and is now back down to 80, with the assessor likely to ease her further soon. She should get her ground as the closing months of the season loom large and could be up to landing a sprinting prize from a declining mark in those circumstances in which she has thrived. Nautic Star The Jessica Harrington-trained debutant Nautic Star shaped with plenty of promise when fifth in the Grand Hotel Malahide Irish European Breeders Fund Fillies Juvenile Race. The seven-furlong event featured some promising Ballydoyle inmates in Diamond Necklace (first) and Minerva (second) - the latter having had the benefit of racecourse experience - while she split the recent Leopardstown one-two pairing of Fairy Oak (sixth here) and Yellowstone Lake (fourth). This daughter of Sioux Nation showed her inexperience with a tardy start, but was seemingly learning all the while and ran on well in the closing stages. She should take a decent step forward next time and there will be easier targets than this for her. Aviatrice The lightly-raced Aviatrice was third for David Marnane and Luke McAteer in the Kwiff: Proud Sponsors Of The Supercharge Series Handicap over six furlongs. A maiden winner over this trip at Dundalk back in November, the Phoenix Of Spain filly is 0-4 on the turf since returning to action in late June. She has, though, run good races at the likes of Limerick, Leopardstown and Galway before here, tackling trips from 6f-1m. Dropping back to sprinting might have caught her out a touch this time and she didn't pick up quite as well as might have been anticipated, having seemingly travelled as well as anything. She is rated 80 and has time on her side, with Dundalk over the winter months likely to produce plenty of opportunities in the MRC International colours that do well at the Co Louth venue.
