There's no better jockey than Frankie Dettori to serve up excitement for the Curragh's first Group 1 weekend of 2016, and, 22 years after the Italian superstar's first Irish classic success, he can propel Galileo Gold to Tattersalls 2,000 Guineas glory today.
Galileo Gold is attempting to become the ninth colt to complete the Newmarket-Curragh Guineas double and will have to tackle the might of Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle team on their home patch in order to join that exclusive club.
Minding is a long odds-on favourite to secure a record-equalling seventh success for the champion trainer in tomorrow’s 1,000 Guineas; he also has a heavy favourite in Found for the Tattersalls Gold Cup.
Both fillies have cast-iron claims but Ballydoyle’s number one hope for the colts’ classic, Air Force Blue, has work to do to restore his reputation after beating just one home in the Newmarket Guineas, 15 lengths behind Galileo Gold.
A couple of O’Brien’s 10 previous Irish Guineas winners, Power and Roderic O’Connor, managed to defy similarly bleak form evidence from Newmarket.
However, it requires a similar leap of faith to plump for last year’s outstanding juvenile champion with any confidence.
In contrast, Galileo Gold arrives at HQ with a classic already under his belt and a jockey seemingly riding as well, and as confidently, as ever he did when first securing Irish classic success on Balanchine in the 1994 Derby.
Rare talent
For someone whose future in the saddle looked on the skids a few years ago, Dettori’s own career rehabilitation has vindicated a rare talent, a rehabilitation underpinned by Sheikh Joaan Al Thani’s
Al Shaqab
team.
Dettori's association with John Gosden could yet yield back-to-back Epsom Derby victories in a fortnight and, while the 45-year-old can't fill his sole Irish classic blank in the 1,000, he does ride Time Test for Roger Charlton in the Gold Cup.
It is on Galileo Gold, though, that much weekend attention will focus.
Any possibility of the Hugo Palmer-trained colt stepping up in trip for the Derby has been ruled out but his credentials for this classic task, including ground versatility with an unsettled forecast in mind, are hard to knock.
“You clearly write off any of Aidan’s horses at your peril,” Palmer reported. “But if Galileo Gold runs the same as he ran in the Guineas, then the others have to pick up their game to beat him.”
He is the sole overseas raider and although Michael O’Callaghan’s Blue de Vega in particular is an unexposed type open to significant improvement, expecting almost a stone improvement on Galileo Gold’s official rating is expecting a lot.
Official ratings back up the widespread view that Minding is set to become just the third filly to complete the English-Irish 1,000 Guineas double.
Original plans to run the Newmarket runner up, Ballydoyle, in this were ruled out due to an unsatisfactory bloods test, something that also prevents the Australian star Vancouver from making his European debut on a card with a rejigged running order due to scheduling demands on RTÉ television.
As substitutes go, Minding looks outstanding, already rated 10lb clear of both Turret Rocks and Now or Never, and who theoretically at least could pick up another mile classic at her leisure en route to Epsom.
Ryan Moore teams up again with the Breeders' Cup heroine Found against her old rivals Fascinating Rock and the Grey Gatsby and the filly can build significantly on her smooth Mooresbridge victory earlier this month.
Contenders
Moore is on board Beacon Rock among the O’Brien quartet for the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes, leaving the Dee Stakes third, Housesofparliament, to the in-form Seamus Heffernan who can upset the Balldyoyle pecking order.
Saafarr has been mixing it in elite company, running into the subsequent classic winner, the Gurkha, in a Navan maiden and then not beaten far in the Derrinstown Trial despite his pacemaker duties. He should be hard to beat in the weekend finale.
