Irish Angle: top tips for The Curragh and Fairyhouse

The fortunes changing hands at Tattersalls’ Book 1 Sale this week reinforces how blessed we are with pedigrees in Ireland right now.

Look no farther than Saturday’s opening race at The Curragh. Galileo, Frankel, Siyouni and Dark Angel account for five of the first six horses in racecard order. It may not make it easy for punters, but it is pleasing on the eye.

Then we have the superb Kitty Rose showcasing her prowess and that of Natalia Lupini, while the jumpers are in action at Fairyhouse.

With the washout the second half of the calendar year has been, we pretty much have proper jumping ground already. Be lucky.

The ground will not suit several of these and I’m taking a chance on Henry de Bromhead getting Sam Magee back to the form he was in roughly a year ago in strong maiden hurdles. He'll relish conditions and the yard form is highly encouraging.

The market strength of this horse on both starts for his young trainer has been telling. He is improving and the drop back in trip looks a good move.

Both her sire and dam acted perfectly well with an ease and it will be a surprise if she does not follow suit, although it seems her participation is ground dependent. Given her size, it was a fair performance to hammer her rivals at Leopardstown less than two weeks after her debut. It's hard to see what beats her here, as she should be getting better.