Leopardstown is one of seven race meetings across the UK and Ireland on Thursday and features the Group 3 Meld Stakes, which has been won by useful performers such as Japan and Decorated Knight in recent years.
Joseph O'Brien won the 1m1f Group 3 Meld Stakes (7:25) with Patrick Sarsfield in 2020 and is represented in this year's renewal by the unbeaten Trustyourinstinct. A comfortable winner of a Curragh maiden over ten furlongs on debut, the three-year-old recorded another easy success when taking the Thomastown Race at Gowran Park, despite showing signs of inexperience in the closing stages and edging left. The Churchill colt has displayed plenty of ability and appears to be still improving.
Jessica Harrington's Bold Discovery is more experienced than the rest of the field and has been competing against some good-quality horses throughout his career. He beat Aidan O'Brien's Listed winner Peking Opera when scoring on debut in a Naas maiden and finished a solid third in the Group 3 Killavullen Stakes to end his juvenile campaign. Second in the Group 3 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on reappearance, he was well-beaten on his subsequent two starts behind Paddington and was noted to have scoped badly prior to the Irish 2000 Guineas. The Bolt D'Oro colt looked a different horse when returning to Listed company for the Celebration Stakes, finishing strongly to win by half-a-length.
A half-brother to champion racemare Snowfall, Alfred Munnings has been lightly campaigned to date with three runs under his belt. He won on debut in a Leopardstown maiden by four-and-a-half-lengths before a solid sixth in the Listed Chesham Stakes at the 2022 Royal Ascot meeting. Returning after nearly a year-long break, the Dubawi colt was well-beaten into third in the Group 3 International Stakes behind Mashhoor. Although his form does not rival the top two in the market, the colt clearly displays plenty of ability and is entitled to improve for his seasonal reappearance run.
WIN: BOLD DISCOVERY
In a field of nicely bred two-year-old fillies for the 1m Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (6:20), Aidan O'Brien's Andromeda catches the eye on her debut. Out of an American-bred mare, the filly is a full-sister to Irish 1000 Guineas winner Peaceful and Listed victor Easter.
Improvement is expected from Donnacha O'Brien's Enthralling, who could only manage tenth on debut in a Curragh maiden behind Ylang Ylang. The filly was never involved in the race, settled in the rear before showing signs of inexperience when asked to make up ground. She is the first raced foal out of Gossamer Wings, who was placed in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes as a juvenile.
Similar comments apply to Aidan O'Brien's second runner Opera Singer, who finished eighth in the same Curragh maiden. She was hampered badly after the start and although attempted to make up ground from two furlongs out, the filly had no chance of getting involved in the closing stages. By Justify, the filly is a half-sister to four Black Type performers and should come forward for that run.
WIN: ANDROMEDA
RACING & SPORTS SELECTIONS
RACE 1 – Danvers Gold
RACE 2 – Courageous Strike
RACE 3 – Who Not What
RACE 4 – Andromeda
RACE 5 – Chavajod
RACE 6 – BOLD DISCOVERY
RACE 7 – Saturn
RACE 8 – Pinot Gris
