S.P. Read Esq. Saturday’s racing rush hour and lightning

Our daily columnist and pundit S.P.Read Esq. looks ahead to THE IRISH OAKS at the Curragh this afternoon and has a bet with Star Spreads, the home of sports spread betting.

Irish Oaks Day at the Curragh and the weather might be a little easier to predict than the English cards today with thunderstorms and lightning forecast to co-incide with the start of racing !!

Take your pick on the ground on anything from firm to heavy. You can’t blame punters for keeping their powder dry until seeing how the rain will impact the venues.

Another ridiculously busy Saturday.

• NEWBURY
• MARKET RASEN
• CURRAGH
• NEWMARKET
• RIPON
• CARTMEL

All staging afternoon cards. Whilst understanding racecourses desire to race on a Saturday afternoon I’m absolutely in the camp of thinking it has now gone too far with it coming at the expense of racing at other times of the week.

Indeed, if I was a sponsor I’m not sure I’d want a race on a Saturday afternoon – how much attention would I really get during the rush hour of Saturday afternoon racing ??

MEMO TO BOSS: Read S.P.Read Esq. Daily at Star Spreads Maiden Stakes (Group 1) – please action for a quiet day at Yarmouth.

Anyway – hopefully the rain will not wreck the afternoon’s coverage (although I wouldn’t mind torrential rain at Hoylake to spoil Rory McIlroy’s round and get my book looking better but that’s another story…..).

The Curragh ground is currently good to firm with a forecast of being mostly dry with a risk of showers.

The big race is the Darley Irish Oaks – a race that has eluded Irish trainers for five years.

You can’t help but think that they’re out to put that right this afternoon. Aidan O’Brien saddles five of the 11 runners !!

The pick for me though has to be Tarfasha after her excellent second in the Epsom Oaks to Taghrooda who looked well above an average Oaks winner on the day.

Tarfasha was 3 3/4 lengths back in second and Volume only a nose behind her in third but Tarfasha did take a bump a furlong out and whilst she was never going to win she would, in all probability, have finished further in front of Volume.

I’m taking Tarfasha to ensure the prize is recaptured by the Irish and provide a Classic win for Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen.

Hard to think that there won’t be at least a couple of wide margin winners this afternoon so I’m tempted by buy of distances at 12.4 on Star Spreads.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CURRAGH MARKETS ON STAR SPREADS

RECOMMENDED BET (scale 1-100 points)

BUY CURRAGH DISTANCES at around 12.4 with Star Spreads for 10 points

Since World Cup: -171.25

• Any spread prices quoted are indicative and as always prices are subject to fluctuation.
• Please note the opinion, views and forecasts above are of the author and not of Star Spreads.