Curragh Tips: Sunday 19 July 2026

Curragh Tips: Sunday 19 July 2026

A Sunday card at the Curragh with three races worth dissecting, headlined by a pair of Group 2s run on good to firm ground. Conditions should suit sharp, well-striding types and the going is unlikely to inconvenience anyone with turf form. Ryan Moore rides at 31% here over 698 starts, a number that demands respect whenever he takes a booking, and he has two live rides on the card. Across the Irish Sea, Spa has the Belgian Grand Prix in full swing, while Croke Park hosts the GAA All-Ireland Hurling final. Racing has the stage to itself this afternoon.

3:15 Glenroyal Hotel And Shoda Café Minstrel Stakes (Group 2, 7f)

Selection: Big Gossey at 10/3 (Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Seven runners, a flat seven furlongs, good to firm ground. Charles O’Brien’s stable is quiet at 0/3 in the last fortnight but form figures do the talking for Big Gossey and the trainer’s record matters less when the horse himself is this clearly in form. Big Gossey heads the figures on speed, has the course trip and going ticked off, and returns just 21 days on from a winning run. The below-form ninth three starts back is the one blot on his copybook, but the form on either side of it reads 1 and 2, so it reads as an anomaly rather than a collapse. He is the highest-rated horse in this field and returns fresh without being dangerously absent.

Power Blue attracts attention at 2/1 and carries a big speed figure, but back-to-back fourths and a trainer who has been completely cold over the last fortnight (0/12) make him vulnerable to anything peaking at the right time. Zodiac Bear looks likely to shorten further on the morning and the modest speed figure does not back up the headline form. Big Gossey at 10/3 represents the value at the top of the market.

3:50 Racing World 50th Anniversary Irish EBF Fillies Handicap (1m)

Selection: Mallavelly at 11/4 (Boyle Sports)

A small-field fillies handicap over a mile and only six runners, so each-way value is limited here. Mallavelly gets the nod on the back of consistent placed form, a second last time out, and a trainer in Gary Lyons who has been in fine fettle at 5/26 over the past fortnight. She has form over today’s trip and on this type of ground, and Colin Keane takes the ride, a pairing that knows how to get the job done at this level.

The concern is that she remains winless in five, but the handicapper has not moved harshly on her placed efforts and she is weighted to run a big race again. Glitter And Glory at 3/1 is technically shorter but the Harrington yard is completely blank in its last 24 runners. That is too significant a warning flag to ignore. Orchidaceae tops the figures but has not been seen for 22 days after a below-par run, and the market has not gone mad for her at 6/1 this morning.

4:25 1xBet.ie Curragh Cup (Group 2, 1m6f)

Selection: Illinois at 3/1 (Boyle Sports / Betfred / LiveScore Bet)

This is the race of the day and Illinois is the standout angle. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, who runs at 19% here over a substantial sample, and ridden by Ryan Moore whose 31% strike rate at the Curragh over nearly 700 starts is one of the most reliable numbers in Irish racing, this partnership alone demands attention. Illinois won last time out, backs that up with the second-best figure in this field and carries a strong speed reading over a trip and going he handles. A seventh four starts back is the lone blemish in an otherwise progressive sequence.

Al Riffa heads the figures at evens and cannot be dismissed. Joseph Patrick O’Brien has been operating at a remarkable 21/59 in the last fortnight and the form figures for Al Riffa are genuinely strong. But Evens for a horse yet to win in five starts feels short, and Illinois has the winning habit on his side right now. Trustyourinstinct at 17/2 is the most interesting each-way alternative given back-to-back placed efforts, but the primary call is Illinois to follow up last time’s win.

Today’s NAP

Illinois — 1xBet.ie Curragh Cup (4:25, Curragh)
Odds: 3/1 — Boyle Sports (others: 3/1 Betfred, 3/1 LiveScore Bet)

Ryan Moore at 31% at this track, Aidan O’Brien ticking over at 19% here over a massive sample, and a horse who won last time out carrying the second-best figure in the race. Illinois handles today’s mile and six furlongs and the good to firm ground, and the 3/1 is generous for a horse coming in with the form the right way. Evens about Al Riffa for a five-race losing run feels like market overreaction to a figure edge. This is the bet of the day.