Saturday

The heavy and persistent rain that fell throughout Friday has robbed the Stobart Ireland Pretty Polly Stakes of Snow Fairy and with the dual Oaks heroine out of the line up it looks a very straight forward assignment for Henry Cecil’s Midday.

The multiple Group 1-winning filly has been one of the standout middle distance runners in Europe over the last two years. Her clash with Snow Fairy promised to be a fascinating battle between two of the very best fillies in training and in the absence of her old rival Hency Cecil’s charge simply cannot be opposed.

Two of her top flight successes have come on soft ground so the significant easing in the ground will hold no fears for her. She is expected to account for Misty For Me who is dropping down in trip after appearing not to stay in the Epsom Oaks last time. A triple Group 1 winner herself and another who shouldn’t be overly inconvenienced by the ground, Misty For Me looks the only threat to Midday.

This afternoon’s card plays host to a number of other interesting events although a watching brief is best advised for the Grangecon Stud Stakes. The six contestants here all have to prove their effectiveness on ground this slow. Experience looked a decent type when she won a Navan maiden in good style last week but it has to be remembered that she achieved that success on a sound surface.

Elsewhere Jim Bolger’s Rigoletta made a most encouraging debut in a strong looking maiden at Leopardstown earlier this month when she was second to Yellow Rosebud. She looks a filly of significant potential but again the ground is unknown for her in the seven furlong fillies maiden.

A similar remark applies to her chief rival Princess Sinead who has filled the runner-up spot in two decent contests at Naas. On her debut the Jessica Harrington-trained filly chased home Maybe and she then ran another sound race to finished second to Teolane in a listed race there earlier this month. Those runs are strong pieces of form but it could well be that she will have very little to spare over Rigoletta.

Slight preference here is for Rigoletta though. There was a lot to like about the debut of Jim Bolger-trained daughter of Teofilo but the ground has complicated matters. She could just be worth a small investment against Princess Sinead.

Twelve months ago Tactic won the Curragh Cup for John Dunlop and the Arundel trainer gets the vote to strike once more, this time with the progressive Times Up.

Last year’s November Handicap winner has remained a horse on the up this season. He won a decent mile and a half handicap at Newmarket on his latest start and readily made the transition to stakes company when he landed a listed event over today’s trip at York last month.

This doesn’t look an especially strong renewal of the Curragh Cup and Times Up seems able to cope with an ease in the ground. He is taken to see off the challenge of Nebula Storm who should be quite at home on the ground and has run two sound races behind Fame And Glory this season. Indeed his second to the subsequent Ascot Gold Cup winner at Navan in April is one of the very best pieces of form on offer.

Perhaps the other good opportunity on Saturday’s card lies with the consistent and versatile Drombeg Dawn in the seven furlong fillies handicap.

The Andrew McNamara-trained daughter of Orpen is quite effective on a sound surface but any rain that has fallen over the last day will hold absolutely no fears for her as she did win the Irish Lincoln on heavy ground at the start of the season.

She is just three pounds higher than when recording that success and comes here off a sound run in a well contested premier handicap over a mile here last month. Also Drombeg Dawn should have won this race last year when she was a close fifth. With better luck in running she can carry the day.

Recommended

2.30 Rigoletta 1pt win

4.10 Times Up 2pts win

4.40 Drombeg Dawn 1pt e/w