Weekend racing tips: Swan Bay can continue on upgrade in Beresford Stakes

Swan Bay and Shane Crosse win the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. Picture: Healy Racing.

The Group 2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes on today’s card in the Curragh looks to be a decent renewal, and Swan Bay can give Joseph O’Brien, who won the race three times as a jockey, a first win in the race as a trainer.

The colt was unlucky on debut, in a maiden won by Cowboy Justice, but went one place better with a really taking performance earlier this month at Galway. He and Anchorage went quick from the outset, and it is a credit to the winner that he was able to pull away close home to win by five lengths.

He already looks a potential Group 1 horse over middle distances next season and will be a tough nut to crack today.

The nap goes to Giselles Ausie, who can follow up her maiden success by taking the Irish EBF Auction Series Race. She came from well off the pace to land the spoils that day and is bound to be much better for the run. The daughter of Australia will appreciate the slightly longer trip, and is preferred to Thunder Eclipse, who was so impressive last time out on softer ground.

British raider Art Power, trained by Tim Easterby, looks a class above his rivals in the Group 3 William Hill Ireland Renaissance Stakes. The four-year-old hasn’t won a race since taking the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas in July of last year but has since finished fourth or better in four Group 1 sprints. Last time out, he finished fifth, beaten less than two lengths, behind Emaraaaty Ana in the Haydock Sprint Cup and can make the most of this drop back to Group 3 level – his first since the Naas outing.

The Listowel Harvest Festival, which served as a positive portent of what is to come, with crowds returning to the track, ends this afternoon with a National Hunt card. In the opening race, Chiracahua makes his jumps debut for Paul Nolan, having been a smart sort on the level for Ger Lyons. He certainly has the size and scope to make it in this sphere and can get off to a winning start.

Little Mixup, who finished third here earlier in the week, will appreciate the step up to two and a half miles for the Kathleen Walsh Memorial Handicap Hurdle and can give Denis Hogan, whose horses have particularly well this week, another winner at the meeting.

LISTOWEL (Saturday)

Tommy Lyons

1:10 Chiricahua

1:40 Impervious

2:15 Walking Fame

2:50 Little Mixup

3:25 Yulong Voice

4:00 Andalusa

4:35 Goodnightgodbless

5:10 Suain Na Draiocht

Next best

1:10 Rodaniche

1:40 Benbulben Boy

2:15 Run For Oscar

2:50 My Friend The Wind

3:25 Shannon Gray

4:00 Zarkareva

4:35 Sizing Malbay

5:10 Misty’s Gift

CURRAGH (Saturday)

Tommy Lyons

1:25 Giselles Ausie (nap)

1:55 Good Heavens

2:30 Swan Bay (nb)

3:05 Jeroboam

3:35 Magnifico

4:10 Art Power

4:45 Ozymandis

5:20 Time To Burn

Next best

1:25 Thunder Eclipse

1:55 Navagio

2:30 Luxembourg

3:05 Punakha

3:35 Coumshingaun

4:10 Twilight Spinner

4:45 Apollinaire

5:20 Miss Florentine

CURRAGH (Sunday)

Tommy Lyons

1:25 My Eyes Adore You (nap)

2:00 Cougar

2:30 Concert Hall (nb)

3:00 Ruling

3:35 The Mediterranean

4:05 El Tren

4:35 Jon Riggens

5:10 Dickochea

Next best

1:25 Giovanni Bellini

2:00 Bringbackmemories

2:30 Albula

3:00 Indigo Desert

3:35 Barrington Court

4:05 Moon Daisy

4:35 Arnhem

5:10 Nectarine