Fifteen runners for the Irish Derby and a favourite that only ran eight days ago suggests this is a ripe for a bet. Clearly Santiago is very good and we like him – he was a winning tip at Royal Ascot last Friday – but this is a deeper race over a different trip so it’s worth taking him on at the prices. Thundery showers are forecast and that makes this a little perilous as it’s a guessing game how much will come down, so it’s dangerous backing anything that wants firm ground. I think the best horse in the race might be Crossfirehuricane, but he’s not raced over this trip before and stamina is a concern along with the threat of rain. FISCAL RULES is ticking a lot of boxes. He’s a maiden but his form has been well advertised by Wichita and Monarch Of Egypt, and he was an eye-catcher when a staying-on 5th in the Irish Guineas. He was a talking horse ahead of that race but drifted notably in the market, so perhaps that wasn’t the time to strike as Jim Bolger wanted to get a run into him beforehand and couldn’t. It’s interesting he’s pitched in at 12f now as he’s closely related to winners at this trip with Galileo in the pedigree, and his emerging sire Make Believe has already had some decent middle distance horses so there are plenty of signs he might stay. Described as definitely better than Bolger’s previous Derby winner Trading Leather, he’s clearly held in high regard and is a very lively 8/1 chance in an open market.
1p win Fiscal Rules @8/1, 19:15 Curragh, Saturday
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