Curragh: O'Brien strong in Tattersalls Gold Cup and 1000 Guineas

Surprise, surprise! Aidan O’Brien, Ireland’s leading trainer (if not the world’s) holds a strong hand Sunday in a pair of Group 1 races at The Curragh.

Magical will be favored, Flag of Honour likely the second choice in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and a race later O’Brien runs four of the 10 fillies entered in the Irish 1000 Guineas. One of those, Hermosa, is the early favorite for this one-mile classic for 3-year-old fillies, while her stablemate Just Wonderful was priced at about 6-1 as of Friday by English bookmakers offering antepost wagering.

Hermosa already has a Guineas win tucked away under her saddle pad; May 5 at Newmarket she beat 14 foes to win the English 1000 by one length over a straight-course mile. That win came as something of a surprise. Hermosa had strong enough 2-year-old form but only had been placed at the Group 1 level last season.

At Newmarket she was a 14-1 shot, a much longer price than two other O’Brien-trained fillies, and Hermosa was ridden by Wayne Lordan, who typically gets third choice of O’Brien’s horses in top races like the Guineas. But Hermosa proved a worthy winner, taking the lead just after the start and fending off several challenges.

:: MEMORIAL DAY SALE: Save 50% on Formulator PPs, DRF Plus access, and handicapping reports

Can she reproduce the best race of her career just two weeks later? Maybe, and Ryan Moore takes over the mount from Lordan, but at a much shorter price this time around and bettors can afford to cast a skeptical eye on Hermosa’s chances.

Moore rode Just Wonderful in the English 1000 Guineas, where a sixth-place finish suggested this filly had not progressed from her 2-year-old season the way Hermosa had. Fairyland, also well supported at Newmarket, managed a fifth-place finish but might not really want to run as far as a mile. So, maybe the best hope to beat the O’Brien-trained favorite comes from outside the O’Brien operation.

The two leading hopes in that regard appear to be Qabala and East. Qabala, making just her third career start and first beyond seven furlongs, turned in a solid performance finishing third behind Hermosa in the 1000 Guineas and should have more room to improve Sunday than her far more heavily seasoned rival. East, third behind victorious Castle Lady last out in the French version of the 1000 Guineas, makes her second start of the season and should be a filly to perform better as the year goes along.

Magical, however, can’t easily be opposed in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, a 1 5/16-mile race for older horses. For one thing, she faces just four foes, and for another, Magical is better than they.

Magical gave the great Enable everything she wanted last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and easing back into Group 1 competition she cruised to easy wins in a pair of lesser races this spring. The only potential impediment is a good-to-firm course (as of Friday) with less give than Magical probably prefers.

Post time for the Tattersalls Gold Cup is 10:50 a.m. Eastern with the 1000 Guineas immediately following.