Cork, Friday 24 July 2026: Three Races, Three Angles Worth Your Money

Cork, Friday 24 July 2026: Three Races, Three Angles Worth Your Money

A decent Friday card at Cork on good to firm ground, the kind of surface that rewards pace and class rather than grinding. Three races stand out as worth dissecting properly. Glorious Goodwood is just four days away, so plenty of yards will be using today to sharpen their ammunition, which makes trainer form stats particularly relevant this afternoon.

5:22 — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Race (5f, Good To Firm)

Selection: Star Prospect — 11/4 Boyle Sports, 5/2 LiveScore Bet

Joseph Patrick O’Brien’s yard is running at a scorching 19 from 59 (32%) over the past fortnight. When a trainer is in that kind of form, you back their representatives at every realistic price, and Star Prospect at 11/4 in an eight-runner juvenile conditions race qualifies comfortably.

The form reads 130: a win three starts back, a third two starts back, and a blank last time out. That last run needs context. Two-year-olds drop form and find it again regularly, and the fact that O’Brien has kept him active suggests confidence in the horse. Crucially, Star Prospect tops the ratings in this field, has run over today’s five furlongs on going that suits, and Dylan Browne McMonagle takes the ride. That combination of top figures, a red-hot yard, and a jockey who makes winners for O’Brien regularly is enough to make this the standout play of the race.

Sirocco Sands is the obvious market rival at 7/4. Won last time, solid formline, but David Marnane’s yard is 2 from 22 lately and a 27-day break gives you a reason to sit off the short price. La Tache for Ger Lyons won last time but only sits fourth on the figures at the same weight. Star Prospect at 11/4 is the value call.

5:58 — Doneraile Handicap (5f, Good To Firm, 11 runners)

Selection: Kendall Roy Each-Way — 15/2 Boyle Sports, 7/1 LiveScore Bet

Eleven runners, three places paid, good to firm, and a horse who has won twice at this level with a dip in form that looks straightforward to explain. Kendall Roy is the one.

The form reads 1-0019: two wins in the sequence, with a ninth last time out being the obvious blot. Six days between that run and today is quick enough that Kate McGivern has clearly not been alarmed by the below-par effort, and horses regularly come back from a flat spin to run their race the following start. The key point is that the two victories show Kendall Roy can win off this kind of mark, the trip is right, and the going suits.

At 15/2, there is each-way value with three places available at 1/5 odds. In a field of this size, on a track where pace plays a big role over five furlongs, getting placed money back on a horse who has won twice in this sort of company is a sound play. Chris Hayes rides and knows what he needs to do from the front or close to it.

Ipanema Queen at 9/2 is third on the figures and ran second five starts back, but yet to win in her last five is a concern at that price. Eclairage is interesting at 10/1, second last time, but Daniel Murphy’s yard is 0 from 6 lately. Kendall Roy each-way at 7/1 or better is the bet.

4:48 — Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden (5f, Good To Firm, 10 runners)

Selection: Hanney Boy — 4/9 Boyle Sports, 2/5 LiveScore Bet

Yes, odds-on. But this is not a race to overcomplicate. Hanney Boy has run four times and posted 2233: three placings from his last three starts, consistent, battle-hardened, and clearly looking for his maiden win in the right spot. A 10-runner field that includes a horse with one run (an eighth) and several first-timers means the experience advantage is real.

The trainer, Evanna McCutcheon, has a small sample recently but that does not undermine a horse whose form speaks clearly. Good to firm conditions over five furlongs suit his profile. At these prices, this is not an each-way play, and with a small field it never would be. This is a singles banker if anything. Budget accordingly and keep the stakes in proportion to the short price, but Hanney Boy should get the job done.

Capital Of Pride at 4/1 is the main danger for De Aguiar, who is 2 from 16 in recent weeks. No form to assess there, so you are betting blind against a horse with four runs of solid placed form. Hanney Boy to win, no argument.

Today’s NAP

Star Prospect — Irish Stallion Farms EBF Rated Race (5:22, Cork)
Odds: 11/4 — Boyle Sports (others: 5/2 LiveScore Bet)

Joseph O’Brien firing at 32% over the last fortnight, Dylan Browne McMonagle in the saddle, and Star Prospect heading the figures in an eight-runner juvenile heat on going that suits. The blank last time out is a known variable in two-year-old racing and the previous form, a win and a third, shows the class is there. At 11/4, you are getting a top-rated horse from a red-hot yard at a price the market has kept honest. That is value on a Friday afternoon.