There are three meetings in Britain on Sunday with jumps at Cartmel and Uttoxeter as well as all-weather action at Wolverhampton. The biggest meeting of the day though is undoubtedly at the Curragh in Ireland where the Irish Derby headlines a stellar nine-race card.
Racing Post tipster Gary Savage has provided three recommendations for the day’s action at the Curragh and is taking on the Coolmore battalions in the big race.
Sunday's Curragh Horse Racing Betting Tips
13:40 Curragh - Moltophino @ 8/1
14:45 Curragh - Zarathos @ 6/1
16:35 Curragh - Raaheeb @ 5/2
13:40 Curragh - Moltophino @ 8/1
The usual massively competitive field for the Rockingham, with plenty of returning contenders and in-form speedsters clashing, but with the amount of pace on it could pay to take a chance on John Kinsella’s Moltophino, who looks to have been aimed at this contest.
A consistent and gradual improver as a four-year-old in 2025, Kinsella’s gelding ran one of his best races at this course when running away with the Premier Habitat Handicap on Guineas weekend.
Although that contest was over six furlongs, he would have won at any distance that day such was his high cruising speed, and he readily accounted for the subsequent winner of this race last year, Keke, from a rating 5lb lower.
He competed well without winning from higher marks last summer, with his best run probably coming when returned to five furlongs on good to firm at Cork’s much sharper track.
He has only run once this season, when running well for a long way in this year’s Habitat, a race he went into without a prep run, and with that under his belt and a return to a ferociously run stiff five furlongs in his favour, he can take this valuable prize.
14:45 Curragh - Zarathos @ 6/1
This doesn’t look like the greatest Premier Handicap ever run and Dylan Cunha’s progressive Zarathos, the trainer’s first ever runner in Ireland, can take the prize back to Newmarket.
A few of these runners would definitely prefer some give in the ground, and although there’s a chance of a bit of rain on Sunday morning, it isn’t likely to change the going substantially with the weather as warm as it is.
Still a maiden after 17 starts, it’s fair to say the four-year-old has been a relatively late bloomer, but in his last three runs, two decisive wins followed by a narrow defeat at the Epsom Derby meeting, he has really turned a corner.
Although fast ground has been a key part of his improvement according to his trainer, it was soggy ground when he went down narrowly at Epsom last time so backers will have no weather worries at all.
That last run also showed the gelding’s freegoing tendencies, one of the reasons for his failure to get off the mark sooner, look to be a thing of the past as he settled well despite being ridden along early to get a position.
He was coming back at the winner at the line that day, looking like he still had more to come, and with Cunha taking no chances by booking Dylan Browne McMonagle, a third win of the season looks very likely.
16:35 Curragh - Raaheeb @ 5/2
Despite a stellar Royal Ascot and another Derby win on his bulging CV, it could be that Aidan O’Brien actually doesn’t have an outstanding three-year-old middle-distance colt this season and the money that has come for Owen Burrows’ twice-raced Raaheeb in recent days could prove shrewd.
Christmas Day’s victory at Epsom on rain-softened ground was not wholly unexpected, (sent off 7/1 fourth favourite), but it may have indicated the lack of star status at the top level, Constitution River apart.
It certainly looks to leave the mile and a half crown up for grabs, and connections of Derby also-rans such as the reopposing James J Braddock won’t be afraid to take on the might of Ballydoyle, but it also leaves open the possibility of an outstanding candidate being able to trump the lot.
The fact that Raaheeb has been able to achieve an official and Racing Post rating higher than all bar Christmas Day and Benvenuto Cellini in only two fairly low-key victories is very encouraging for his chances.
Burrows is not one to tilt pointlessly at windmills and the subsequent performances of those he beat at Sandown make his current rating look reasonable, while the manner of his victory hinted at there being plenty more in the tank.
As a brother to Hukum and Baaeed he has a pretty high ceiling and the Irish Derby can be the first of many top-level successes.
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Read more Curragh horse racing news on site.
Tipster's Recent Winners
Gary Savage has had winners at 11/4 and 9/4 in recent weeks and plenty of big-priced places.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
