Curragh Tips: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Curragh Tips: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Rain is falling at the Curragh and the ground is riding Good to Yielding, which will continue to ease as the card progresses. That matters enormously on a card where front-runners and soft-ground specialists will have a significant edge over horses who like things quick underfoot. Three races stand out for punters looking for value, and with the Epsom Derby just three days away, the Curragh is the perfect warm-up act.

5:40 — Sky Bet Club Irish EBF Maiden (7f)

This is a fascinating two-year-old maiden built around two Aidan O’Brien debutants. Ryan Moore is on Giant Sequoia (8/11), the Frankel colt out of a Listed-winning daughter of Camelot and closely related to Irish Derby winner Latrobe. That is an exceptional pedigree for a 7f maiden on a testing surface. Moore does not ride odds-on shots lightly at the Curragh, where his 31% strike rate is a fact that punters should respect.

The curiosity is that Moore has been moved onto Giant Sequoia rather than Aix La Chapelle, which tells its own story. Aix La Chapelle has a jaw-dropping page too: a full brother to Group 2 winner Statuette, closely related to Group 1 winner Tenebrism and Classic winner Henri Matisse. Wayne Lordan at 7/2 is a legitimate each-way alternative given the pedigree, but when Moore takes the mount on the O’Brien second string in a seven-runner field, there is usually a very good reason.

Selection: Giant Sequoia at 8/11 (Boyle Sports, Betfred, LiveScore Bet). Small field, short price, no each-way badge needed. Bet to win.

6:45 — Sky Bet Price Boosts Premier Handicap (5f)

Twelve runners, four places, and a competitive sprint handicap with a fascinating form puzzle at the top of the weights. The rain makes this race more straightforward to read than it looks at first glance.

My selection is Allsortz Each-Way at 9/2 (LiveScore Bet), trained by David Marnane. This progressive front-runner won a Dundalk maiden, finished third on handicap debut at Naas behind Amiata, and then reversed that form emphatically at Cork over this exact trip last month. He saw it out well on soft ground, winning in authoritative style. Today’s rain is good news: he handles soft, he loves 5f, and he races prominently which is a significant advantage in a field of 12 when the ground is tacky.

Yes, he carries 5lb more than Amiata now, and Amiata under Colin Keane is the obvious danger. But Allsortz already reversed the form at Cork when Amiata was on better terms, and the going conditions today play directly into Marnane’s horse’s hands. Luke McAteer rides, and while Marnane’s yard is 0/9 in the last 14 days, the form on the card is fresh and the track conditions are a clear positive.

Bad Boy Rizz at 5/1 is worth noting: a solid profile and the stiffer 5f trip suits, with Dylan Browne McMonagle in the saddle. He is a legitimate each-way threat but Allsortz beat him at Cork and beat him at Naas through Amiata, so he sits third in the pecking order here.

Ipanema Queen is interesting on the figures but her trainer is 1/17 in the last fortnight and she dropped out tamely last time on soft. Handicap debut on easing ground with that recent form is a risk too far at 5/1.

Selection: Allsortz each-way at 9/2 (LiveScore Bet), or 5/1 with Boyle Sports and Betfred. Four places at 1/5 odds applies.

7:20 — Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Handicap (1m6f)

This staying handicap is where the real value lies tonight. The market is dominated by Too Bossy For Us at 5/1 and Emit at 4/1, but the horse I want to be on is Dawn Rising Each-Way at 16/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred).

Here is the angle. This nine-year-old was second in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket last autumn, a race run over 2m2f in a field of 30-plus. That is a serious piece of form, placed in one of the biggest staying handicaps of the year. His run here recently was over an inadequate trip, and the form book effectively wipes that out as irrelevant. Back at 1m6f on yielding ground, with Dylan Browne McMonagle taking the ride over stablemate Emit, the stable has clearly identified this as his race.

McMonagle choosing Dawn Rising over Emit in a Joseph Patrick O’Brien yard is a significant pointer. The trainer is 10/60 in the last fortnight, a solid 17% strike rate, and when the first jockey sides with the bigger-priced stablemate in a staying handicap, you follow. At 16/1 with four places paid, this is exactly the type of each-way bet the serious punter should be making.

Emit at 4/1 is consistent and drops to handicap company at his best trip, so he will run well. Poetic Sound at 17/2 has strong form at this exact distance and Colin Keane knows this horse well. But neither represents value at their current prices when Dawn Rising is 16/1 and clearly trained to the minute.

Holy See at 9/1 won at Gowran on soft ground in April and merits each-way consideration too, but Dawn Rising’s class and the jockey switch make him the standout play.

Selection: Dawn Rising each-way at 16/1 (Boyle Sports, Betfred). Four places at 1/5 odds. Consider a small win double with tonight’s NAP for a big-price return.

Today’s NAP

Dawn Rising — Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Handicap (7:20, Curragh)
Odds: 16/1 — Boyle Sports (others: 16/1 Betfred, 14/1 LiveScore Bet)

The Cesarewitch runner-up from last autumn is a class above most of these on his best form. Joseph O’Brien’s yard is in form and when Dylan Browne McMonagle bypasses stablemate Emit to ride this one at 16/1, the message is clear. Back at his ideal trip on yielding ground, this is a generous price for a horse with genuine placed chances at minimum. Four places paid at 1/5 odds makes the each-way case irresistible.

Each-Way Recommended — 4 places at 1/5 odds