Irish Derby Festival: Friday tips for the Curragh
Published:
David Metcalf | June 23, 2016
Time To Inspire ticks all the right boxes
Time To Inspire has a progressive profile and can make a winning handicap debut in the in the 1m 4f contest on the opening day of the Irish Derby Festival at the Curragh (19.30).
The Dermot Weld trained gelding shaped with stacks of promise on debut over 1m 2f at this venue when chasing home by the now 107-rated Sandro Botticelli, sticking to the task well to go gown by just 3/4 of a length.
Time To Inspire backed that up with a solid third to Ivanovich Gorbatov at Navan before opening his account in runaway style at Galway.
Opening mark looks exploitable
The four-year-old powered clear in the latter to easily beat Catalyst by 10 lengths, and the runner-up went on to score next time up.
That gives the form a solid look, and judged on his earlier efforts behind Sandro Botticelli and Ivanovich Gorbatov the son of Galileo looks potentially nicely treated off an opening handicap mark of 95.
Time To Inspire also looks the type who should have plenty more to offer and hails from a yard in good form at present.
Your Pal Tal value to follow-up
In the 6f handicap (18.30), Your Pal Tal looks decent value to follow-up his recent success over course and distance.
The six-year-old made all and only had to be shaken-up to beat I Will Excel by 1/2 lengths in a competitive 19-runner affair, scoring with more in hand than the winning margin suggests.
Although Your Pal Tal has been hit with a 9lb rise in the weights for that victory, the son of Dark Angel’s revised rating of 75 still looks workable as he has won off 83 in the past and ran well off the same mark when runner-up over course and distance 12 months ago.
The Major General ready to rule
The Major General ran a blinder at Royal Ascot and can defy top weight to get back to winnings ways in the 1m 2f handicap (20.00).
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the colt stayed on strongly to be nearest at the finish when fourth of 16 in the ultra-competitive King George V Stakes.
That form reads well in the context of this contest, and prior to that effort The Major General had won his maiden over course and distance before landing a Listed contest at Leopardstown.
Selections
17.30: Rhododendron
18.00: Reckless Gold
18.30: Your Pal Tal
19.00: Fiuntach
19.30: Time To Inspire (NAP)
20.00: The Major General (NB)
20.30: Mutadaffeq
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