Curragh, Sunday, November 2, features a competitive eight-race card, with notable movement in several key divisions. The 1m40y Group 3, led by Uxmal and Chally Chute, has seen Chally Chute shorten sharply on the boards after drawing the rail and due to a rail-biased track at Curragh recently. Uxmal, a deep closer, remains steady at odds, but The Shunter, a front-runner, is drifting on concerns of a sharp pace battle with Island Hopping. The Racebuzz preview notes Island Hopping, now at double-digit odds, is attracting late money as an overlay—his form line at Leopardstown last month suggests he was ridden too close and will now be positioned further back by jockey Chris Hayes. Surface changes are not in play here, but the ground is yielding after recent rain, potentially helping the top two and hurting pace-pressers. Jamie Spencer takes the mount on Chally Chute, replacing a less-experienced apprentice, which has accelerated the money flow.
In the Irish Racing Sprint Handicap (5f), 15 runners face a speed test, with Amicitia the morning line favorite. However, the current odds reflect a drift on Amicitia, likely due to the draw (stall 1) and the withdrawal of pacemakers. Stag Night has been halved in price after a foot-perfect barrier trial and now co-favors alongside Real Force. Jockey and trainer changes are not a factor, and no significant equipment or weight adjustments are reported. The turf is firm, which may play into the hands of early speed types, but the late money on Stag Night is significant—Tote figures show a doubling in place/show pools for this horse. The exotics market is dominated by Stag Night and Airspeed, with both horses showing higher than average exacta/trifecta interest.
The Curragh’s 7f handicap is a deep field, but Brewing, coming off a troubled trip at Dundalk, is now third favorite after opening at 20/1—his late move into the market is likely due to confidence from trainer Jessica Harrington and the switch back to turf. Thera, a lightly-raced 3-year-old, is seeing steady support as a value play, especially in Pick 4 and Pick 5 pools, where her odds are holding despite trainer Michael O’Callaghan’s limited 3-year-old record at this meet. Pace scenarios here favor those drawn inside, and recent track bias suggests horses close to the pace have an advantage—Brewing and Thyer (trained by Ger Lyons) are both ideally positioned.
At Del Mar, the maiden special weight turf race has drawn late money on Kokosan, now 3-1 second choice after a 6-1 opener, thanks to sharp recent works and the switch to Flavien Prat from an apprentice. Rostovsky, with regular rider Flavien Prat, remains favored, but some drift in his odds reflects concerns over a wide draw. Legal Heir, a front-runner, is an underlay at current odds (5-2) given he has yet to break his maiden in seven starts. Del Mar’s tip sheet reports the Pick 3 pool is heavily tilted toward firsters, but Kokosan is the only horse with decent odds and clear late improvement in the speed figures.
In the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, according to USRacing, Nysos is the firm morning-line favorite at 8/5, but has not shortened further despite a dominant last-out win. Goal Oriented is now a strong 6-1, from 8-1, after reports of sharp morning gallops and a weight break—trainer Bob Baffert’s second string is always respected. Meanwhile, Full Serrano remains 7/2, an overlay given his graded stakes form and tactical speed.
Historical context is key at Belmont at Aqueduct, where Heart of Honor has drifted to 20/1, despite running third to graded stakes company last out—trainer Kelly Breen’s horses often rebound second off the layoff, and this is a notable value angle. The horse is widely available at double-digit odds, but the tote has seen little interest, possibly due to the surface switch (dirt to turf).
Across tracks, multi-race wager pools are up, especially in Pick 5 and Pick 6, with a skew toward...
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