The Irish Derby Festival at Curragh Racecourse, a summer event which never disappoints!
Below, we take a look at some of the standout race contenders for the 2026 renewal, and you can stay up to date with all the best horse racing odds available on our sports betting site.
Written by Jake Wilkes
*All odds are subject to change
Thundering On
If Thundering On lines up and doesn’t bounce after her mightily impressive Epsom Oaks victory, she should take a world of beating in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes.
Conditions were difficult three weeks ago, but Joseph O’Brien’s filly mastered them and impressed me with how powerfully she travelled through the race.
It appeared she won without getting out of third gear and while it would have taken more out of her than it looked, the three-week break should be sufficient for recovery.
The Irish Oaks seems easier than the English renewal and if she has any hopes of being competitive in an Arc de Triomphe, she needs to be winning this.
Odds against is more than generous.
Velozee
The Group 2 Anglesey Stakes could cut up badly, with several horses having a quick turnaround from Royal Ascot.
Velozee is one of those, but he ran a fantastic race in the Queen Mary after being in a horrible position for most of the race.
He was last at the two-furlong marker, so absolutely flew to finish eighth of 27. You can frank this form as the pace held up at the front end, so this was a much better performance than the finishing position suggests.
A slight question would be the step back up to six furlongs, as his only performance at this trip resulted in a big disappointment.
Nevertheless, he is talented and there may be value in him before the final field is confirmed.
Sun Goddess
If the above mentioned Velozee goes to the Anglesey, this may set up for Sun Goddess to take all the beating in the Airlie Stud Stakes.
She bumped into one in the Albany Stakes when finishing second, but had huge market support behind her, indicating connections know how talented she is.
O’Brien and Moore have won the last four renewals but Sun Goddess looks to have more potential than some of those previous winners, namely Matrika and Beautify.
If she lines up, I would be surprised if she didn’t win.
Giant Sequoia
In similar fashion, Aidan O’Brien has won this on a couple of occasions, including with City Of Troy in 2023.
Giant Sequoia was sent off 4/9 favourite on debut and was the stables first string, even when Aix La Chapelle was in the field. The latter was 2/1 favourite for the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot before being withdrawn.
Simple market support and yard confidence make her very attractive to back and assuming Ryan Moore chooses her over Oklahoma, she should take a lot of beating.
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