The best three-year-old fillies over a mile are heading to the Curragh ahead of Sunday’s Irish 1000 Guineas, with Tahiyra the short price favourite for the €285,000 prize.
Tahiyra is at 1.50 with William Hill for the Group 1 mile contest after finishing second in the British 1000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month.
In two runs in her debut season, trained by Dermot Weld and ridden by Chris Hayes, she won both, including the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 25th, 5:30 P.M. (BST)
Second that day was Meditate for Aidan O’Brien who is the current second favourite for Sunday’s meeting at 5.50.
Meditate’s stock rose further last season by winning the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland in November under the stewardship of Ryan Moore.
But she has made an indifferent start to this season, only managing sixth in the English 1000 Guineas.
The second of O’Brien’s three runners is 12.00 chance Jackie Oh, ridden by Seamie Heffernan. She only made her debut in March, winning over a mile at Naas, before finishing second at Navan last month over 10 furlongs.
Tarawa, a stablemate of Tahiyra and also owned by the Aga Khan, rounds off the Weld/O’Brien stronghold at the top of the market. Also at 12.00, Tarawa will be ridden by Billy Lee after the pair teamed up for the first time at Leopardstown just three weeks ago, finishing second in a Group 2.
Jessie Harrington trains 17.00 shot Eternal Silence who will be aiming to silence the favourite backers in the colours of last year’s winner Homeless Songs. Still looking for a first win and unraced this season, she was third in her last outing – September’s Moyglare behind Tahiyra and Meditate.
James Stack trains both You Send Me (23.00) and Aspen Grove (41.00) for Craig Bernick. Colin Keane rides You Send Me for the first time, she was second in a Group 3 at Leopardstown this month, while Aspen Grove won a Group 3 for two-year-olds last year. Mark Enright will be on board for the third time.
Breege (41.00) will also be making her season bow for trainer John Quinn. Jason Hart will be on board as he has been for her previous five career rides, the latest of which was a decent fifth place in the Group 1 Criterium des Pouliches at Longchamp in October.
Dower House’s (51.00) recent form has been fairly indifferent, while Comhra (81.00) has finished fifth and sixth in two Group 3s this season.
