 Tim Carroll 's Bio | |
|---|---|
| Tim started off as a jockey in Australia before pursuing a media career. He is a highly experienced and respected racing presenter who has been based in England since 2005. Tim has travelled the world covering many of the major meetings, including Royal Ascot, The Epsom Derby, The International meeting from Sha Tin, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Saudi Cup and The Breeders. He is currently a presenter for Sky Sports Racing, specialising in both the local and international scene. Tim is a regular contributor to the At The Races Website where his twice weekly tipping column on Hong Kong racing has gathered a strong following. | |
Curragh Racecourse – Track Analysis (Flying Five Stakes, Moyglare Stud Stakes, Vincent O'Brien National Stakes & Irish St. Leger)
Curragh racecourse, which is commonly referred to as ‘The Curragh’ is a horseshoe shaped, right-handed course, with four separate tracks. There is the Plate course, the Derby course, the New Course (1600m chute), and the straight course. The track is mostly flat with no sharp bends, meaning it is a galloping track, although the straight, which is approximately 600 metres in length, sees a slight uphill rise. There are several starting points on the horseshoe courses up to 3200m, whilst the straight course, which has a chute on the bottom right-hand side of the track that joins the main straight, has starting points from 1000 to 1600m.
Flying Five Stakes (1000m)
Over 1000m on the straight course they join the main straight after 400m. Middle to high draws are preferred, as they will mostly look to come down the centre and grandstand side, however in this race, there has been an even spread of winning stalls in recent times. Horses can win from anywhere, but those that go too quickly on the front will usually be found out over the concluding stages.
Over the last ten years the average field size has been 12.1 with the average winning draw 6.5. During that time there have been three successful leaders, three that have tracked the speed and four that have been held-up. Over the last decade, both Aidan O’Brian and Edward Lynam have produced two winners, whilst Ryan Moore and Chris Hayes have both ridden two winners. Fillies and mares have dominated in recent years, winning four of the last five editions, whilst favourites have been successful five times since 2014.
Moyglare Stud Stakes & Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (1400m)
There is a slight bend not long after they leave the stalls, but as its one of the widest parts of the track, it has very little impact. The stalls are usually placed in the middle of the track, and they do have several different positions for the running rail. Thus, if the rail is toward the grandstand side, then high draws aren’t seen as disadvantageous, but riders will prefer a low draw when the rail is placed toward the far side. But just to add further complication, if the ground is soft, then riders will look to go to the high side where the drier ground is usually found, thus a high draw is seen as an advantage
Irish St Leger Stakes (2800m)
The Irish St. Leger start is from the left-hand side of the course where they have a long run before taking a sweeping bend that leads into the straight. Like most races on the round course, horses can win from anywhere, but the uphill rise does tend to catch them out if they are ridden aggressively. Over the last ten years, the barrier draw has had little impact on the St Leger, with the average field size during the last decade being 8.8, whilst the average winning barrier during that time is 6.1. Favourites have a decent record, winning four of the last ten editions, although during that time there have been three winners at double figures. Of current trainers, Dermot K Weld is the most successful with nine winners, although Aidan O’Brien has sent out six winners in total, four of those since 2015, of which Ryan Moore has been aboard three.
The weather forecast for Curragh during the week is for mostly sunny days but there is a chance of some rain in the leadup. The forecast is suggesting if the rain does arrive it will only be light, and if that is correct, it shouldn’t have too much impact on the going. Seven of the last ten renewals of Champions Day have been run on ground with Good in the description, and given the forecast, chances are that will be the same this year.
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