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Curragh 3.50

3/1 Dick Whittington, 5/1 Gordon Lord Byron, 13/2 Cougar Mountain
13/2 The Happy Prince, 7/1 Sruthan, 16/1 Joailliere, 20/1 Onenightidreamed, 25/1 Flight Risk.

The Gladness Stakes is a Group 3 race over 7f
Always a messy race as we are in the dark about things
Like Fitness and which horses are having a prep races

COUGAR MOUNTAIN is probably here for a Prep race
Aidan O’Brien runs 3 here and I’m not sold on any of them
THE HAPPY PRINCE may have other targets
If you look at the sire Rip Van Winkle
And all his runners on softer ground over 7f or more
There are winners but none have won in Class 2 or higher
I wouldn’t read too much into that
But Rip Van Winkle is the Sire in this race with Most to Prove
THE HAPPY PRINCE has this sire
DICK WHITTINGTON is also sired by Rip Van Winkle
7f on soft will be a new experience for her
This could be a prep race for any number of Group 1 races
I think these 3 O’Brien horses should be opposed

GORDON LORD BYRON does not appeal
Not as an 8 year old absent 137 days
I looked at every winner of this race since 1981
None were aged 8 or more and I see him as too risky

Past winners of this race had the following career starts
7 6 20 9 6 9 9 14 5 42 5 16
No winner has won this with under 5 career starts
JOAILLIERE looks too inexperienced with 3 runs

FLIGHT RISK won this race last year at 50/1
He is respected but hard to see a repeat
He is up in class and distance after a recent Listed run over 6f
Didn’t do enough to persuade me last time

Shortlist

I like SRUTHAN the 2014 winner of this race
He was also 4th in last years renewal
This year he has had a run and has won
The 2013 winner came from the Irish Lincolnshire handicap like him
There are flaws in most of the others

ONENIGHTIDREAMED is not easy to commit to
Not as a penalised 5 year old well beaten recently
He has never raced over this distance before either
But there are things I like about him
He won the Irish Lincoln last year when very inexperienced
That was first time out as well
He then won again beating SRUTHAN over a Mile
This year he has come out and raced just once
That was when 7th in the Irish Lincoln Handicap
He was entitled to need that run
He had an impossible draw last time out as well
I felt he was running on very nicely at the end
We can’t be sure if 7f will suit or not
But Heavy ground certainly does
I think he has chance at a good price

Selection , staked to £10

£5.00 Win SRUTHAN 7/2

£2.50 Each Way ONENIGHTIDREAMED 14/1