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Cork hosts a good eight-race card on Tuesday which features the 1m Listed Navigation Stakes for three-year-olds and upwards.
Caracal is an exciting new recruit for the Joseph O'Brien team, having won a seven-and-a-half furlong contest at Tipperary on his stable debut. Originally trained by Jean-Claude Rouget in France, the Al Shaqab Racing-owned colt won his first two starts as a juvenile before failing to fire in the Group 3 Prix de la Force in April 2022. With the tongue-tie applied for the first time at Tipperary, the four-year-old made headway in the closing stages to record a comfortable three-quarter length victory on his first racecourse start in eighteen months. Entitled to improve for race fitness on only his fifth career start, Caracal is capable of a big performance in a field of exposed rivals.
The consistent Power Under Me represents the Ger Lyons' team and returns to Listed company with a penalty. Winner of the Listed Knockaire Stakes at Leopardstown in October, the gelding continued his progression into 2023 and recorded a first Group victory in the mile Group 3 Amethyst Stakes in May. He was not disgraced over seven furlongs when fourth in the Group 2 Minstrel Stakes subsequently and the return to this distance, with the prospect of soft ground is a major positive for the five-year-old.
Self Belief remains lightly raced and recorded a third career success when taking the four-runner Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown over nine furlongs in late July. This will be the gelding's first attempt over a mile since winning a twenty-runner Curragh maiden on debut and his previous performances do suggest a sharper test will suit. The son of Make Believe has not appeared to truly stay ten furlongs on his four attempts and his two runs over nine furlongs have yielded considerably better results. Although the dam ran over 1m4f to two miles, her best progeny have been successful over seven furlongs to a mile and this could be the key to any further improvement Self Belief may find.
WIN: POWER UNDER ME
There are some exciting pedigrees on display in the 1m Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (3:40), including the daughters of Breeder's Cup winner Intercontinental, Irish Oaks third Eziyra and Black Type producer Inca Princess.
Although difficult to pick between some of the un-raced fillies, Flight of Fancy makes plenty of appeal for the Aidan O'Brien team as a daughter of Inca Princess. Now fifteen years old, each one of Inca Princess' six raced foals have been Black Type performers including Johannes Vermeer, Wembley, and Covent Garden. Full brother Johannes Vermeer won twice at Group level as a juvenile, so this Galileo filly should have enough precocity to feature on racecourse debut.
WIN: FLIGHT OF FANCY
Aidan O'Brien's Sweetest will be bidding for a maiden victory on the fourth time of asking in the 5f Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden (1:20) and deserves to break through after three placings. The daughter of Blue Point returns to five furlongs for the first time since her debut third over this course and distance, where she was comfortably beaten by Donnacha O'Brien's Gloucester. Sweetest arguably produced one of her better performances when third at Naas over six furlongs last time, but appeared to weaken in the closing stages, indicating a return to a sharper test would be ideal.
WIN: SWEETEST
RACING & SPORTS SELECTIONS
RACE 1: SWEETEST
RACE 2: ALPHA CEPHEI
RACE 3: PRETTY BOY FLOYD
RACE 4: DAISY JONES
RACE 5: FLIGHT OF FANCY
RACE 6: POWER UNDER ME
RACE 7: JUNGLE COVE
RACE 8: ZEPHRON