5:30 Curragh Tips

4-time raced 4yo. 5/16 when last seen in Oct on handicap debut at 7f on heavy going. Up in trip for this. Should go well for the J.P. O'B / McDonagh combo.

Another packed Field here in the lucky last @the Curragh with my vote going to Tom McCourt's 4 year old Gelding CAPTAIN CIANO who looks to have some potential upside here. This Son of INVINCIBLE ARMY ran very well @Dundalk (11f) last month coming off a big 303 day sabbatical to finish 4½ lengths off a winner who won next time out aswell as 2nd place horse with 3rd placed horse finishing 2nd which is very positive BUT it's this charges penultimate run @Gowran Park (9f Heavy) running through the muck where I thought this lad was a little unfortunate when hindered 1 from home but still plucked away to finish 2nd & arrives here 3lbs lighter. Tom McCourt arrives here with a 50% place strike rate the past fortnight & jockey James Ryan remains in the plate. This testing ground is certainly a stamina sapper so I'm looking for a charge that has ran further (in the muck) & can come take advantage if the pace collapses. 14/1 looks a decent each way chance with 6 places to hit.

This is wide open, and a chance is taken on 20/1 shot Timandi, who looks too big. He drops back in trip and will be fit from recent runs on the all-weather. He has form on softer ground and has dropped to a good mark.

He is a winner at 6f at this course and has also claimed victory at 1m on heavy ground. In 2024, he was runner-up in this race while carrying 8 lb more. Reliable and useful on heavy ground. Though not typically a standout winner, the enticing odds of 28/1 and six places up for grabs make an each-way bet fantastic value.

She may be top weight, but there are a few signs that point to a good run. She has placed on both of her heavy-ground starts in France. Her seasonal reappearance last season was her best of three, when she was 5th of 14 at Roscommon, and she is 8 lbs lower today. She also won after a four-month break in France, so a break may aid her chances rather than hinder them. She has a chance at a big price.