Curragh, Sunday 28 June 2026

Curragh, Sunday 28 June 2026

A superb card at the Curragh today, headlined by the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at 4:35. Good to Firm ground under partly cloudy skies suits the speedier types throughout the card, and with Aidan O’Brien operating at 11 from 50 over the past fortnight, his yard is ticking along without being red-hot. Ryan Moore posts a 31% strike rate at this track, making his rides worth following closely. Three races worth getting stuck into below.

2:10 Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables Dash Stakes (Listed, 6f)

Selection: Big Gossey (11/4, Boyle Sports/Betfred)

At nine years old, Big Gossey is the old warhorse of the field but he showed last time that the fire still burns. Second in a Group 2 at this very track, beaten just two lengths despite being slightly tardy in his challenge, he clearly goes particularly well at the Curragh and the application of a first-time tongue-tie adds a physical angle worth noting. Charles O’Brien’s yard has only one runner in the last 14 days so the sample is tiny, but this horse’s recent form is the story. The weight concession to younger rivals is the legitimate concern, but at 11/4 in a 10-runner Listed contest, the track bias and recent form combine to make him the standout pick.

At 10 runners, each-way terms of 3 places at 1/5 are fair enough, though the price doesn’t demand it. Win is the play at 11/4.

3:20 Dubai Duty Free International Stakes (Group 3, 1m2f)

Selection: Isaac Newton (11/2, Boyle Sports/Betfred)

On paper, Purview is the odds-on jolly and you can see why. Six lengths in a Listed contest at this track is commanding form. But at 4/6 to 8/11, you are being asked to lay out serious cash for a horse stepping up in grade for the first time against rivals who already know how to win at this level. The price isn’t right.

Isaac Newton at 11/2 is the angle. Ryan Moore takes the ride, and at a track where Moore wins 31% of his races, that booking alone sharpens the focus. The three-year-old dug deep under pressure to land a Listed contest at Navan last time, handling trouble in running with genuine grit. He stays ten furlongs, the good to firm surface is squarely in his favour, and the Aidan O’Brien yard has a strong record in this particular contest. The three-year-old weight allowance of 12lbs versus the older horses is a tangible physical edge in a race at this trip. Purview might well win, but at more than twice the price, Isaac Newton represents the value.

Trustyourinstinct at 12/1 is worth a small each-way interest. Won this exact race twelve months ago, is back in form after a conditions win at Gowran Park, and drawn low in stall 1. A pound each-way at 12/1 with three places at 1/5 is a sensible saver.

4:35 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Group 1, 1m4f)

Selection: Benvenuto Cellini (11/8, Boyle Sports/Betfred/LiveScore Bet)

The Irish Derby is the race of the day and the market has this more or less right. Christmas Day won the Derby at Epsom with authority, but the comment that the faster surface today may not play to his strengths is a crucial qualifier. He is the 9/2 Epsom winner stepping onto quick ground he hasn’t encountered in winning form. That creates space.

Benvenuto Cellini comes here in a different shape entirely. The Epsom non-runner status due to a stalls incident should be set completely aside, it is a non-event in terms of form assessment. Before that, he destroyed a Group 3 field at Chester by four lengths, a performance that suggested a horse operating well within himself. Ryan Moore takes the ride, he wins 31% of his races here, and the good to firm going is precisely what this colt wants. Proven at twelve furlongs, top stable confidence, no injury concerns, no excuses. The 11/8 price is short but reflects reality in what is effectively a six-horse race once you discount Bunyola Bay and Shaihaan.

For each-way players, James J Braddock Each-Way at 8/1 (Boyle Sports) is legitimate. Five and a quarter lengths back in the Epsom Group 1 but that is solid form in this company, the Curragh is expected to suit him, and Joseph O’Brien’s yard is operating at a healthy clip. Three places at 1/5 with 8 runners means the each-way terms are available and at that price, a place return is profitable.

Raaheeb at 9/4 is a real horse, unbeaten and smooth when winning, but 65 days off the track combined with fast ground on his first try at Group 1 level is a combination that asks multiple questions at once. Wait and watch the market closer to post time. If he drifts, that tells you something.

Today’s NAP

Isaac Newton — Dubai Duty Free International Stakes (3:20, Curragh)
Odds: 11/2 — Boyle Sports (others: 11/2 Betfred, 11/2 LiveScore Bet)

Ryan Moore at a track where he wins nearly one in three, a gritty last-time winner who handled traffic and still found the line, a weight advantage over the older horses, and good to firm ground that suits. The odds-on Purview may well be better but you are not being paid to find that out. At 11/2, Isaac Newton is the value call in a race his trainer knows how to win. Grab the 11/2 before the Moore money arrives.