Donn McClean's best bet for The Curragh on Sunday
By Donn McClean
Last Updated: Sun 14 Sep 2025
By Donn McClean
Bucanero Fuerte
Trainer: Adrian Murray
Race: Bar One Racing Flying Five, The Curragh - Sunday
Donn McClean
Finished: 3rdSP: 9/2
Bucanero Fuerte has picked up where he left off on the racecourse this season after an unsuccessful stint at stud.
Winner of the Group One Phoenix Stakes as a juvenile, he won on his seasonal return as a three-year-old at Naas last year.
He didn’t win again after that in three attempts between then and the end of the season, but two of those three races were in Britain. It appears as if he is not a great traveller these days and all three of those races were Group Ones.
He was impressive in winning on the same day at Naas this year on his first run as a four-year-old, and he followed up last time in winning the Group Three Phoenix Sprint Stakes at The Curragh, when he had Saturday’s Sprint Cup runner-up Kind Of Blue back in third.
He goes well at The Curragh - he has won four of his six races there and, while it is not ideal that his two defeats have been at this meeting, he goes into this year's race on an upward curve and he could go well again.
Shin Emperor
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Race: Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown - Saturday
Donn McClean
Finished: 6thSP: 4/1
It is a real shame that Ombudsman is not making the trip to Leopardstown on Saturday. It goes without saying that the rematch between him and Delacroix, the decider, Ballydoyle v Godolphin again in the Irish Champion Stakes, would have been box office.
In the absence of the Gosdens’ horse, Delacroix is a warm favourite to land a 13th Irish Champion Stakes for his trainer Aidan O’Brien and that is as it should be.
However, Shin Emperor probably should be closer to him in the betting than he is. Yoshito Yahagi’s horse put up a big performance to finish third in the race last year as a three-year-old when he didn’t have a whole lot of luck in-running.
He got caught in a little pocket when they quickened, Ryusei Sakai had to wait for a few strides before he could switch and ask his horse for his effort and, when he did, the Siyouni colt finished off his race strongly, getting to within a length of the winner Economics. He was fastest of all through the final furlong.
Beaten a fast-diminishing neck by multiple Group One winner Do Deuce in the Japan Cup on his final run last season, he won a Group Two in Riyadh in February, when he had Al Riffa over two lengths behind him in third place, and he has obviously had the Irish Champion Stakes on his radar for a little while.
Reports from his preparations on The Curragh are all positive and it is also a positive that his rider had two rides at Cork on Wednesday in preparation for his big day on Saturday.
Cercene
Trainer: Joe Murphy
Race: Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes, Leopardstown - Saturday
Donn McClean
Finished: 5thSP: 5/1
Cercene provided the Murphys with their first Group One win when she landed the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and she could go well again in the Matron Stakes.
She earned her place in the Royal Ascot race with a fine effort to finish third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the end of May, doing well to come from mid-division and finish off her race as well as she did in a moderately-run contest that was dominated by the prominent racers.
The other three fillies who, with her, filled the first four places, occupied three of the first four places from flagfall. Cercene was seventh passing the two-furlong marker.
Joe Murphy’s filly took another step forward at Royal Ascot, keeping on tenaciously to get home by a half a length from the French Guineas winner Zarigana.
She again ran a big race last time in the Nassau Stakes, tackling ten furlongs for the first time and racing on ground that was softer than ideal. She kept on well that day to finish a clear second behind the Pretty Polly winner Whirl, who led from the (flag) start.
She should appreciate the return to a mile on Saturday and the return to better ground, as well as the return to Leopardstown, a track at which, on her only visit, she kept on well from well back in the field to finish a close-up third in the Guineas trial at the end of March.
Chicago Critic
Trainer: Johnny Murtagh
Race: Tonybet Solonaway Stakes, Leopardstown - Saturday
Donn McClean
Finished: 7thSP: 15/2
Watch Chicago Critic's run in the Desmond Stakes.
Johnny Murtagh holds a strong hand in the Solonaway Stakes. Alakazi is a big player in the race; he was seriously impressive in winning his maiden over this course and distance in April, and he has run well in defeat on a couple of occasions since.
But he could improve again when he goes beyond a mile in time and it may be that his stable companion Chicago Critic should be closer to him in the market than he is.
Third in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last season as a three-year-old, just a length behind Haatem, who had been just beaten by his stable companion Rosallion in the Irish Guineas on his previous run, the Night Of Thunder gelding has progressed again this year at four.
An impressive winner of the Listed Amethyst Stakes over Saturday’s course and distance in May, he ran another big race back over the same course and distance last time to finish third in the Group Three Desmond Stakes.
He will have to reverse placings with Johan and with his stable companion Alakazi if he is going to prevail on Saturday, but he did well to get as close as he got to those two, coming from back in the field in a race in which Johan made all the running.
He was fastest through each of the last three furlongs and, back at Leopardstown, a track at which he goes well, and ideally with a strong pace at which to run, he could go well again.
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