Fran Berry picks out five horses for your My Stable trackers following the recent action in Ireland.
THE LIFFEY - 4th, Naas, 18/05/2025
Now trained by Joseph O'Brien, having formerly being trained by his father Aidan O'Brien, is The Liffey. He hadn't been seen since last June until making his debut for his new trainer on May 18, 350 days off and gelded in the meantime.
Having been held up, he made good progress down towards the inside of the field before switching out and finishing off very pleasingly inside the final furlong, to be fourth of nine, beaten just a little over three lengths.
Given his unexposed nature, and the fact that some members of the Coolmore ownership team are still involved in him following his purchase at the horse and training sales, one would think there's obvious hope that he could do well this season.
With the benefit of this experience, he will be highly interesting where he pitches up next and that could well be in the Royal Hunt Cup which he's entered in.
Maybe a lot can happen between now and Ascot, and even on the day with the draw, but at his current odds of 50/1 he's well worth considering antepost. Either way, he's a horse to keep following on his next couple of starts.
WARRIOR LORD - 4th, Cork, 20/05/2025
Warrior Lord was making his return to action following 371 days off the track and he'd had the bare minimum three qualifying runs for a mark prior to this handicap debut.
Despite the absence he was heavily supported from double-figure prices and I feel that on another day he may well have won. He was ring rusty in the first half of the race and found himself with plenty to do in the home straight. Despite being continually interfered with by the fifth horse, he finished off strongly, and if connections can get a series of runs into him, he should be very hard to beat off this mark in the future.
Ideally he'll step up to mile and a half, where Warrior Lord looks a ready made winner at a lower level.
TENOYA - 3rd, Cork, 20/05/2025
Trainer Paddy Twomey had two runners in the 1m4f fillies' maiden, Royal Entry getting off the mark in good style.
However, it was her stable companion Tenoya who caught the eye in third with the future in mind. She jumped well, travelled strongly on the front end and set quite a strong gallop, which led her to possibly tiring inside the final furlong.
Given the eventual second and winner have ratings in the 80s, as well as plenty of experience, Tenoya's effort was commendable, and with the benefit of this run for her red-hot stable, she looks an obvious future winner.
She should be very hard to beat wherever she lines up next and that could be at the Curragh next Wednesday.
PARKSIDE LAD - 5th, Curragh, 23/05/2025
A large field assembled for the opening two-year-old maiden and it was the performance of the fifth home Parkside Lad that had definite merit.
There was some on course chat about this horse. They were saying he was going quite well at home and he definitely shaped better than the bare result given he was drawn away from the favourite on this occasion.
He travelled strongly up the middle of the track but paid a price for his efforts inside the final furlong, fading to be fifth, but given the draw and track bias, where he found himself, and how he shaped overall, he's worth keeping in mind for next time.
I imagine he'll go for a similar race and with a better setup, with the experience of this run under his belt, it wouldn't surprise me to see him shed that maiden tag.
RETRACEMENT - 5th, Curragh, 24/05/2025
The Tulfarris Hotel And Golf Resort Handicap had the look of a top class renewal with a lot of strength and depth to it, and on a day where the pace firmly held up on the Curragh round track you can mark up the run of Johnny Murtagh's Retracement.
He was the only horse to make ground from rear position in this race, finishing off strongly inside the final furlong to get up for fifth.
Drawn wide in stall 16, he was placed in a poor position on the home turn, so it was a huge effort by a horse who was formerly trained by William Haggas in the UK
A winner at Pontefract last July, this was only his fifth career start and he looks like a horse that should be well capable of winning a premier handicap in Ireland.
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