FITZDARES ROYAL WHIP STAKES
Sunday 20th August, 4:05pm
A Knight To King @ 9/4
Unless @ 11/4
Layfayette @ 4/1
Goldana @ 9/2
view odds
*prices correct at time of writing.
We’re foraying back to the Curragh to sponsor Ireland’s oldest race for a third consecutive year as The Royal Whip Stakes takes centre stage. Our Ambassador and resident racing guru Cornelius Lysaght marks your card ahead of a cracking day of racing.
Knight To King, racing for only the third time in his fledgling but already promising career, looks very likely to take another forward step here.
The well-bred son of Kingman, a half-brother of the brilliant Ghaiyyath, has enjoyed a big reputation since before making a belated racecourse debut in a maiden-race at Gowran in June, when he waltzed away from his opponents in great style; he was then probably asked to try to bite off more than he could chew, considering it was only his race number two, when contesting a good quality version of the Group Two Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud in July, finishing fourth after showing up for a long way.
Given a bit of time since then by Dermot Weld, whose horses are running well, this could easily be a precursor to a very lucrative second half of the season.
More rain is forecast for the County Kildare area ahead of the race which won’t be an issue for Knight To King, but it could be for the filly Unless who enjoyed the step up in distance in a Listed race over course and distance earlier in the month, but looks at her best in better conditions.
The six-year-old Layfayette is a great old stalwart who relishes the Curragh challenge, having won three times from eleven starts at the track. He has not seemed in quite such good order of late, though with all of his grit and experience he is very much the type to bounce back.
Elsewhere on the card, there will be much interest in the 2022 St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov in the Irish St Leger Trial (4:35pm). He has not won since Doncaster in September but runs in defeat at York in May and when fourth behind the runaway Quickthorn in the Goodwood Cup early in the month would seem to indicate he will come good again soon.
Others to mention on a competitive programme are Running Cool who hardly knows how to run a bad race and remains on a decent mark (3pm). The improving Rush Queen got up late to beat a fair type at Naas earlier in the month; and four-timer-seeking Everylittlestep could have more to give (5:35pm) especially with a promising claimer in the saddle to ease the weight rise a little.
For all your bets on the racing, visit our dedicated horse racing betting page.
