Guineas wide open at the Curragh
Friday, 23 May 2003 18:20The first Classic of the season takes centre stage on Saturday at the Curragh where the first of seven races is due off at 2.10pm. The Entenmann's 2,000 Guineas is wide open. Five of the beaten horses from the Newmarket equivalent renew rivalry: Zafeen (2nd), Tout Seul (4th), Saturn (5th), Tomahawk (8th) and the unlucky Indian Haven (14th). A total of sixteen runners have been declared making this year's field the biggest since 1985.
The Marble Hill Stakes is a fascinating contest. All seven of the two-year- olds in the line-up won last time out. Dermot Weld's Steel Light was most impressive when winning over the course and distance on his second start and is the one to beat.
Icklingham, a close second to Dolmur at Gowran Park on his latest start, drops in class to contest the concluding 1m2f maiden. The main opposition will come from Ingres, making his seasonal debut for Aidan O'Brien, and recent Naas runner-up Indian Belle.
The Sara Lee Premier handicap may well go to one of the bottom weights, Grisham. He has been placed on all three starts this season including when beaten a short-head in soft ground at killarney last time.
The opening Today FM Handicap can provide quick compensation for Millennium Lily. She came late and fast at Roscommon on Monday evening,eventually going down by a head to Miss Devious.
Filed by Brendan Cole
