Jessica Harrington has a handful of runners for this weekend’s Galway festival action, although her primary focus is sure to be on potential Grade One glory in the US on Saturday.
Morning line betting suggests Harrington has found a prime top-flight opportunity for Hotazhell, who lines up in the $750,000 (€649,000) Saratoga Derby on the prestigious Whitney Stakes card.
The colt that beat Delacroix to Futurity success as a two-year-old was behind his old rival in Sandown’s Eclipse, before which he ran third to Field Of Gold in the Irish Guineas.
It’s a level of form that has encouraged local odds of as short as 7/5 about Hotazhell emerging on top in the nine-runner contest.
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Shane Foley is in Upstate New York for the ride, and Harrington’s daughter and assistant Kate told local media: “He came out of Irish Guineas very well and ran very respectably in the Eclipse, coming back at them at the line. He seems to have travelled over to the States very well.”
Other Irish interest in the 10-furlong contest will come from Adrian Murray’s Tiberius Thunder, who will have Frankie Dettori on his back. The Italian’s mount ran fourth to Trinity College at Royal Ascot on his last appearance.
Among the local hopes are Belmont Derby winner Test Score and Tiztastic, who won the Louisiana Derby on dirt earlier this year.
Joseph O’Brien’s State Of Rest won the Saratoga Derby in 2021, but the trainer’s overseas interests on Saturday stretch no further than Goodwood, where Goodie Two Shoes lines up in the Group Two Lillie Langtry Stakes.
The JP McManus-owned mare, formerly campaigned over hurdles and fences, has taken her form on the flat to another level and landed the Stanerra Stakes at Fairyhouse last time.
“We are a little worried about the rain, so we’ll be taking a watching brief on that, but she’s in good shape and has prepared well for the race,” O’Brien said.
“Since coming back to the Flat she has really taken her form to another level over staying distances, and we’ll be trying to make her a Group Two winner after winning a Group Three last time.”
Saturday’s €110,000 feature at Galway is the BoyleSports Handicap Hurdle where the remarkable Teed Up tries for a seventh course victory.
The latest of these came in a flat race on Wednesday when Emmet Mullins’s stalwart overcame all but coming down at a critical point to overhaul Shoda.
Jockey Ronan Whelan emerged from it with a 10-day ban for careless riding after Teed Up met with serious interference. But the horse, acclaimed by his trainer as “a soldier”, was pluck itself and that can see him go close again over flights.
Mullins has four in the feature, but relies solely on Toll Stone in the preceding hurdle. Another with proven course form, he failed to land a blow in Monday night’s amateur highlight and is worth another shot.
The Ballydoyle colt Action, a half-brother to this season’s dual-Derby hero Lambourn, will be hard to beat in the juvenile maiden on the back of his Curragh debut behind two stable companions.
Tuesday’s big Mile winner Dunum is back on familiar territory for Sunday’s festival highlight, the Ahonoora Handicap. Natalia Lupini’s stable star won this in 2023 and was third last year.
Dunum is raised 7lbs for his narrow defeat of Bear Profit earlier in the week and that could make his job difficult over the shorter trip. Princess Child was unlucky over course and distance on Thursday when just pipped in a Listed contest and may go one better.
