Irish Derby Festival

Some nice races over the weekend, 2 grade1`s ,The Derby ( Jack Hobbs will be short priced fav ) and the Pretty Poly where In The Fast Lane has and entry but she will probably swerve imo ( entered for a handicap later in the season )
The Railway stakes looks a cracker if some of the entries from Royl Ascot pitch up...

will post cards closer to the weekend

As expected In The Fast Lane has been scratched, Legatissimo looks likely to run...

Nine left in the Derby including Jack Hobbs ( 2nd at Epsom) ,Qualify the Epsom oaks winner and 3 or 4 others that finished behind Jack Hobbs at Epsom.

Carbon Dating still hanging in there. Amazing. Mind you, for his price, he ran an amazing race in the Epsom Derby.

This should finally settle the debate about whether Jack Hobbs truly stays a mile and a half - don't think he'll have any problem with it myself as he wasn't stopping at Epsom, but was just blown away by a horse with a devastating turn of foot off a very strong pace.

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Irish Derby Preview: Jack Hobbs a cut above the rest





Jack Hobbs holds outstanding credentials in the Irish Derby
A strong pace on a sound surface ensured that the cream rose to the top in the Derby and, whilst he may have had no answer to an above-average winner in Golden Horn, Jack Hobbs pulled well clear of the remainder..



The Derby winner, Golden Horn, may be swerving the Irish equivalent - the past three Derby winners have all turned up at the Curragh - but there's still classic-winning form on offer as Aidan O'Brien's shock Oaks winner Qualify looks set to take on the colts. Qualify may have been sent off at 50/1 - having been available at 100/1 on the morning of the race - but there's no suggestion that her win in the Oaks was a fluke: she simply improved in line with her pedigree for the step up to a mile and a half.

Qualify is by Fastnet Rock - whose progeny stay much better than he did himself - and out of a mare that was placed in a soft-ground Park Hill Stakes, and she relished the stamina test the Oaks provided, staying on strongly to overhaul 1000 Guineas winner Legatissimo close home. It's possible that Qualify will continue to improve now that her stamina has been tapped into, but she'll need to take another step forward - and a considerable one at that - if she is to trouble Derby runner-up Jack Hobbs.

In finishing runner-up to the wildly-impressive Golden Horn in the Derby, Jack Hobbs earned a Timeform rating of 123p - 9 lb higher than Qualify's figure of 114. Qualify does receive the 3 lb fillies' allowance but she will likely hold place claims at best if Jack Hobbs arrives in similar form to Epsom.

It's possible that Jack Hobbs may even build on his Derby performance, that just the fourth start of his burgeoning career. Jack Hobbs didn't make his debut until December of last year, but he has come a long way in a short space of time, obliterating his rivals in a Sandown handicap before finding only Golden Horn too strong in the Dante and the Derby. A strong pace on a sound surface ensured that the cream rose to the top in the Derby and, whilst he may have had no answer to an above-average winner in Golden Horn, Jack Hobbs pulled well clear of the remainder, beating the likes of Storm The Stars and Giovanni Canaletto - who may reoppose at the Curragh - by in excess of four lengths.

Jack Hobbs - described by Timeform's reporter as a strong, good sort - is physically the type to continue improving for a while yet and, as he already sets a fairly lofty standard, he ought to prove difficult to beat.

The main threat to Jack Hobbs could come courtesy of French Derby runner-up Highland Reel. Highland Reel created a fantastic impression as a juvenile, running out an easy winner of the Vintage Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, and he bounced back from an underwhelming return in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains when giving the exciting New Bay most to think about at Chantilly last month.

The Prix du Jockey Club, run over 10.5 furlongs, was Highland Reel's first try beyond a mile, and he seemed to relish it, keeping on strongly without being able to seriously threaten the impressive winner. There is plenty of speed in the dam's side of Highland Reel's pedigree, but he is by the all-conquering Galileo, whose progeny tend to stay well, so there is a chance that the step up to a mile and a half will conjure further improvement.

Derby third and fourth Storm the Stars and Giovanni Canaletto arrive on the back of career-best efforts and may be capable of better yet, but they have plenty to find with Jack Hobbs and are probably relying on John Gosden's charge underperforming, while Kilimanjaro and Carbon Dating were even further back at Epsom and have little to recommend them.

Dermot Weld's unbeaten Radanpour showed a good attitude to score last time but it was only a listed race he won, and he too will need to take a significant step forward if he is to trouble the market principals.

Godolphin haven't opted to declare Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Pleascach, but, in truth, she would very much have been a second string as this looks a good opportunity for Jack Hobbs to gain a deserved Group 1 victory having run so well in defeat at Epsom.

Recommendation:
Back Jack Hobbs to win the Irish Derby

Timeform weight-adjusted ratings:
137p Jack Hobbs
132 Highland Reel
131 Qualify
129 Storm The Stars
126 Giovanni Canaletto

Golden Horn must be a machine

Derby replay

Golden Horn won't beat Jack Hobbs again

Mac wrote: Golden Horn won't beat Jack Hobbs again

They think Golden Horn is way better Mac, anyon we will find out on Saturday how good the epsom form is

Legatisimo looks a very nice bet today 7/4