Kidd Malibu poised to make up for recent near miss
The three-year-old raced once last season, finishing a close sixth behind Beacon Rock in a Curragh Maiden. Off for nine months until his return at Navan last month, he came with what looked like a race-winning move in the closing stages but was found out by a game battling performance from New Classicism.
There’s plenty of reason to believe the son of Malibu Moon has come forward for that outing and, that being the case, should make it third time lucky.
Flying Fairies sets the standard, with a mark of 80, but a greater danger may come from Time To Reason, who finished third behind Roman Impero on his sole outing to date, at Dundalk.
The runner-up that day, Chewy Round Town, gave the form a boost when winning next time, while the fourth, sixth and eighth – two of which are stable companions of Time To Reason – have also won since.
The feature on the card is the seven-furlong race for fillies, which can go to the Kevin Prendergast-trained Cool Thunder.
A wide-margin winner of her only start as a juvenile, in October of last year, she made her return in the Irish 1000 Guineas, and was far from disgraced in finishing fifth behind Jet Setting.
Given her debut display came on good to firm ground, conditions were likely plenty soft enough for her at the Curragh and, in any case, she was being pitched in at the deep end for her first start of the season. With normal improvement, she is likely to take beating.
On official figures she has something to find trying to concede weight to Mimicking, but she has greater scope for improvement and thus gets the vote.
Joseph O’Brien had a brilliant start to his career, with four winners on Monday, and has strong claims in each of the last two handicaps. Udogo was a comfortable winner last time, and should go close in the penultimate race, but may have to give best to Taqaseem, but O’Brien can take the closing race with Sea Of Blue.
Fifth behind Ibsen last time out, he faces an easier task this time, and can carry top weight to victory, at the expense of Ondamoura.
