3:57 Curragh
A 24-runner Isuzu Ireland Handicap over 1m6f on yielding ground at the Curragh looks a typically competitive affair at this level. The KTB Fit Scores are tightly bunched across a large field of modest performers, with the top five all rated between 53 and 60. Most of the field will be held up, which aligns with the race lacking an obvious leader and pointing to a steadily-run, tactical contest.
How the race shapes up
With no one obviously wanting the lead the pace is likely to be steady rather than searching, making this a tactical affair in which being handy can pay. The majority of runners, including all five principals, are held-up types who produce their effort late, so the race could easily turn into a sprint for the line from around the two-furlong marker. The key question is whether any horse can get into a rhythm early enough from the rear to make a telling move in what should be a bunched finish.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Miss Gitana KTB Selection60/100
Miss Gitana is a modest performer with a long look at her recent form. She has won twice at today's trip from eight attempts but showed little spark when last seen over further and has failed to place in five runs on yielding ground. The trainer holds a solid 9% strike-rate here from 54 runs. Rory Mulligan takes the ride on the 5-year-old, who is drawn in stall 4 and will be held up to produce her effort late. Her recent form figures read 320608 and she carries an official rating of 63. Connections will hope the return to her favoured trip sparks a revival in this steadily-run handicap.
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2Granville Street57/100
Granville Street is a modest performer who has been around a bit and ran respectably when eighth over this course and distance on his latest visit. He drops back from two and a half miles today having been placed without winning at this trip before. The trainer has a modest 6% strike rate at the Curragh from 53 runs while the jockey has limited experience here. Usually held up and producing his effort late with high confidence, the 8-year-old is drawn in stall 15. His recent form reads 254803 from an official rating of 70 and he holds a 1-2 record on yielding ground that reads well in the context of this race.
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3Paradise Lost57/100
Paradise Lost is a modest performer who has been placed on three of four starts on yielding ground and showed fair form when finishing fourth over this trip at the track in the past. He has never won in 31 starts and his recent efforts have been no better than mid-division. The trainer operates at a 7% strike rate from 649 runs at Curragh. The 7-year-old will be held up with high confidence from draw 14, with recent form figures of /90-55 and an official rating of 65. Julian Pietropaolo takes the mount and connections will look for the yielding ground to bring out his best again.
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4Miss Australie55/100
Miss Australie is a modest performer who has shown mixed form this year with a win and a few placed efforts among her recent runs. She has no win or place from three runs at the Curragh and has failed to score in six attempts on yielding ground. Dropping back from 2m to a trip she has won over before looks a positive but the trainer's modest 5% strike rate at this track is a concern. Held up with high confidence from stall 18, the 5-year-old has recent form of 613426 and an official rating of 69. The Adrian McGuinness yard's 16-131 record with Sam Coen in the saddle offers some encouragement.
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5Harry's Legacy53/100
Harry's Legacy is a modest performer who has been placed a few times this year but has failed to build on those efforts of late. He showed some encouragement when second over this trip earlier in the season though his record on yielding ground is poor. The trainer has a solid record at Curragh while the horse himself has course form. Usually held up with high confidence from a wide draw in stall 21, the 8-year-old carries an official rating of 67 with recent form figures of 320509. Donagh O'Connor rides for a yard that is 12-104 with this jockey and an A/E of 1.42.
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6Tatum52/100
Tatum is a modest performer who has been hit and miss this year with a best of fifth in a handicap at Galway last time. He drops back from 2m1f to 1m6f having failed to make an impact at this trip on his only previous try and first-time headgear is now applied. The trainer has a 7% strike rate from 933 runs at Curragh while the horse makes its debut here.
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7Priorstown52/100
Priorstown is a modest performer who showed his best effort when winning a handicap over 1m4f last time out. He steps up to an untried 1m6f today which asks a fresh question of his stamina. The trainer has a 10% strike rate at Curragh from 893 runs while the jockey has limited experience here.
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8Alfalfa50/100
Alfalfa is a modest performer who won once from eight runs at this track. He has been competitive on yielding ground without winning and steps up in trip today having shown little at 1m6f on his only previous try. Trainer's modest 3% strike rate at Curragh from a big sample is another negative.
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9Preparations50/100
Preparations is a modest performer who has been in and out of form this year and showed little at this track on his only previous run. He steps up in trip today having been placed without winning at this distance before, while he has winning form on yielding ground. Trainer records a 7% strike-rate at the Curragh from a big sample of runners.
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10Nicky Larson50/100
Nicky Larson is a modest performer who has shown some consistency lately with placed efforts on his last two starts. He drops back from 2m1f to a trip he has never tried which asks a fresh question while the wide draw in stall 13 is far from ideal. Trainer strikes at 9% here from 45 runs and the horse is placed from his only run on yielding ground.
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11Glittering Gem49/100
Glittering Gem is a modest performer who has shown steady placed form this year without winning. Dropping back from 2m to an untried 1m6f asks a fresh question while the Curragh record reads just a single unplaced run. Trainer has an 11% strike rate here from a huge sample.
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12Kaleo Ametsa48/100
Kaleo Ametsa is a modest performer who has shown steady but limited ability in recent starts with form of 536. Trainer has a 0% strike rate from 13 runs at Curragh while the horse makes its first appearance here today and has failed to win or place in one run on yielding ground. It is also unproven at this trip having run once without success.
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13Battling Siki47/100
Battling Siki is a modest performer who has shown little progress in six starts and finished no better than third in a recent handicap. He steps up markedly in trip today which asks a fresh question of him. Trainer has a solid 7% strike rate from 84 runs at Curragh.
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14Gallo Dell Cielo46/100
Gallo Dell Cielo is a modest performer who has been in and out of form this year with two wins and two placed efforts from five starts. He drops back from 2m1f to an untried 1m6f today which asks a fresh question while the Curragh record shows an eleventh on his only previous run here. Trainer operates at an 8% strike rate from 697 runs at the track and the horse has been competitive on yielding ground without winning.
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15Miss Crinshawn45/100
Miss Crinshawn is a limited performer who has shown little for some time and finished well down the field on both previous visits to the Curragh. She stays this far but has never won and steps up in trip today having looked stretched at shorter distances recently. Trainer records a 7% strike rate here from 84 runs.
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16Tanzanite Diamond45/100
Tanzanite Diamond is a modest performer who has shown little spark in nine runs this year and was well held when fifth of 12 over 1m2f here on his only previous visit to the Curragh. He has failed to place on either start on yielding ground and now steps up markedly in trip as a fresh question. Trainer has a 5% strike rate from 665 runs at this track.
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17My First Rose45/100
My First Rose is a modest performer who has shown little so far, finishing seventh and eighth in two maidens before a laboured effort in a handicap last time. The step up from a mile to a mile and six today asks a big new question of her stamina. Trainer holds an 11 percent strike rate at Curragh from a huge sample of runners.
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18Galileo Springs43/100
Galileo Springs is a modest performer who has been well beaten on his last three starts. He steps up markedly in trip today which asks a fresh question of him, though he has won on yielding ground in the past. The trainer has a 2% strike rate from 57 runs at Curragh.
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19Omakase42/100
Omakase is a limited performer who has shown some consistency in recent starts with three wins from his last eight runs. He has been placed once from three runs at the Curragh but showed no spark on his only try on yielding ground. The trainer has a 0% strike rate from nine runs here and this represents a fresh trip question after his last run over 2m.
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20Grann's Boy41/100
Grann's Boy is a modest performer with a solid placed record on yielding ground. He has been competitive at this trip in the past though his latest efforts came over much further and the drop back asks a fresh question. Trainer's modest 3% strike-rate at Curragh from a big sample is a negative.
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21It's Good To Talk41/100
It's Good To Talk is a modest performer with a string of poor efforts including an eighth of 11 here over shorter. He steps up markedly in trip today which asks a fresh question of a horse that has never shown much. Trainer records a 5% strike rate from 57 runs at the Curragh.
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22Flagstone Lady40/100
Flagstone Lady is a modest performer who has shown some spark on her day, winning a handicap at Gowran in June before running creditably when third at Leopardstown last time. She steps up to an untested 1m6f today which asks a fresh question of her stamina, while she has failed to place in two previous runs on yielding ground. The yard's 7% strike rate from 375 runs at Curragh adds limited encouragement.
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23Medadthebookie38/100
Medadthebookie is a modest performer who has shown little in four runs this year. He has no joy on yielding ground from his one attempt and failed to trouble the judge when tried over this trip. The yard's small Curragh sample and the horse's first run here add further unknowns.
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24Crosshaven35/100
Crosshaven is a limited performer who has shown very little in five starts to date and was well beaten on his only previous run here. The yard's modest 2% strike-rate at the Curragh underlines the lack of encouragement. Stepping up markedly in trip today asks a fresh question of a horse with too few runs for the going to be judged.
KTB verdict
Miss Gitana is the KTB Selection. She is a modest performer with two wins at this trip from eight attempts, and the return to her optimum distance after a lacklustre run over further offers hope in a steadily-run race where being handy can pay. The trainer's solid record at the Curragh and the jockey's positive A/E figure at the track add to the case. Main dangers include Granville Street, who ran respectably over course and distance last time and has a good record on yielding ground, and Paradise Lost, who has been placed three times from four starts on this surface and showed fair form over the trip here in the past. Harry's Legacy and Miss Australie are others with place claims if the race develops as expected.
KTB Selection Miss Gitana
This is the narrative read of the 3:57 Curragh. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Curragh racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Curragh results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Curragh racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Why does the race look likely to be tactical?
The pace shape lacks a leader with medium confidence, so it is expected to be a steadily-run affair where being handy pays.
How many of the principals are held-up types?
All five principals are held-up runners who usually produce their effort late.
Which horse has the strongest trainer record at the Curragh among the principals?
Miss Gitana, with the trainer recording a 9% strike rate at Curragh from 54 runs and an A/E of 1.13.
Which horse has course form at this trip among the principals?
Paradise Lost showed fair form when finishing fourth over this trip at the track in the past.
What is the going record for the selection?
Miss Gitana has had five runs on yielding ground with no win or place.
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