Top prospects set to strut stuff

With just a week to go before the leading juvenile Group One races in Ireland, we run the rule over some of the better Irish two-year-olds this season, some of whom will be possible runners in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend.

These events have proven a launching pad for some future champions in recent years, with six subsequent 2000 Guineas winners landing the National Stakes over the past 12 years, including George Washington and Dawn Approach.

In addition to providing the racing industry with a conveyor belt of top-class performers, the National Stakes roll of honour also reads like a who's who of leading stallion prospects for the breeding industry; New Approach, Dubawi, Mastercraftsman and Teofilo all took the race prior to siring Classic winners at stud.

The Moyglare Stud Stakes is also a fantastic source of top-class fillies, with Misty For Me having won four years ago prior to taking the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Pretty Polly Stakes as a three-year-old. Sky Lantern emerged victorious two years ago before proceeding to win the Guineas at Newmarket and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, while last year's winner Rizeena replicated Sky Lantern's Royal Ascot achievements, taking the mile feature for three-year-old fillies in June.

Since the turn of the century, however, one trainer has dominated both races. It will come as no surprise to learn that is perennial champion Aidan O'Brien who, on no less than five occasions, annexed both contests in the same year. Hence, Ballydoyle is the obviously the first port of call when it comes to looking forward to this year renewals.

O'Brien already dominates next year's Investec Epsom Derby market, and the Ballydoyle maestro is likely to choose from that formidable team when deciding on his likely runners for the National Stakes.

Highland Reel has earned the highest Timeform rating of any of O'Brien's juveniles so far this season (111p) following a 12-length romp at Gowran Park that was supplemented with a comfortable win in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

Gleneagles is the next best of the Ballydoyle-trained two-year-olds on 109p after he followed up his Group Three Tyros win with victory in the Group Two Futurity Stakes and he also features amongst the O'Brien entries.

Whilst highlighting the latter juvenile, it would be negligent to ignore the horse who ran Gleneagles to three-parts of a length in the Futurity, with the pair three and a half lengths clear of the third. Joseph Murphy's Vert De Grece does not hold an entry for the National Stakes but on his current Timeform rating of 107p, he ranks as one of the leading five Irish juveniles this season - an achievement which is put into context considering he cost Murphy the relatively modest sum of £32,000 at Doncaster.

Another example of Murphy's tremendous judgement when it comes to sourcing a bargain is Shepherd's Purse. The €10,500 Tattersalls Ireland September yearling sale-purchase won his maiden, again on debut at the Curragh, before running a fast-finishing fourth, beaten less than two lengths, in the Group Three Round Tower Stakes back at Headquarters a week later.

He too ranks highly among the leading Irish-trained juveniles this season which is a credit to Murphy - a trainer with only seven two-year-olds to run this season.

Moving on to the fillies' division and Anthem Alexander currently tops the ratings when it comes to Irish-trained two-year-olds (colts or fillies) as a result of her fine win in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. She has since run a close third to Tiggy Wiggy in the Lowther but looked all speed that day and consequently will not stay the seven-furlong trip as a two-year-old in the Moyglare.

Cursory Glance, who finished one place in front of her that day, is a likely runner in the race, which ties her form in.

O'Brien is of course up there again when it comes to two-year-old fillies with tremendous promise. Words made one of the most impressive Irish debuts this season when winning at the Curragh during Irish Derby weekend and she will be amongst the favourites should she line up on Champions weekend.

It was not simply the style of her win that marked her down as one to follow, but the form of her maiden is working out nicely too, with her immediate victim Raydara subsequently winning the Group Two Debutante Stakes.

Found was another of O'Brien's to impress on debut at the Curragh when she beat her better fancied and more experienced stablemate Together Forever, who went on to finish two lengths third in a Listed race just a week later.

Unlike Words, she is currently not among her trainer's 15-strong entry for the Moyglare, but O'Brien has indicated she is a likely starter and she can be supplemented on Tuesday.

So, with abundance of promise in the entries and past results as a guide, it is a safe bet that both juvenile Group One races at the Curragh on the inaugural Champions weekend will throw up 2015 champions.