Horse Racing Tips: Alcantor should be too strong on Sunday

This week’s racing has been right out of the top drawer and Sunday’s action doesn’t disappoint either. The French equivalents of the 1000 and 2000 Guineas take place at Longchamp and there’s Classic trial action on offer in Ireland.

Britain’s sole meeting is a National Hunt card from Ludlow, whilst Cork and Leopardstown provide the action in Ireland. Leopardstown’s big race of the day is the Group 3 Cashel Palace Hotel Derby Trial Stakes and we could get some serious Epsom clues.

We have three strong fancies to follow in Ireland on Sunday and chief amongst them is a Joseph O’Brien runner who should be too good for his rivals in a Listed contest.

Horse Racing odds

14:30 - City Of Memphis @ 11/8

Paddy Twomey is one of Ireland’s shrewdest operators and his recent form is very good, landing five winners from 11 runners in the last fortnight. CITY OF MEMPHIS is very lightly raced for a four-year-old filly and she’s entitled to progress further.

An impressive winner on debut at Cork last May, she was slow to get going but recovered very quickly, taking the lead with a couple of furlongs to go. She won by almost three lengths in the end and the form has been boosted a couple of times since.

It was a bold move to run her in the Irish 1000 Guineas off the back of that, going up significantly in grade and running over two furlongs further. Twomey’s filly was far from disgraced back in fifth, sticking to her task well, despite being keen in the early stages.

The daughter of Sioux Nation made a winning return over this trip in a decent race at Gowran last month and it’s likely that the best is yet to come from her.

15:05 - Alcantor @ 7/4

The handicapper reckons that Joseph O’Brien’s ALCANTOR is the best horse in this race and the form book definitely agrees. This French import has an abundance of Group 1 form behind him as he makes his first start for O’Brien in this Listed contest.

Previously trained by Andre Fabre, he was half-a-length behind the winner when third in the French Guineas back in 2024. Alcantor filled the same spot in the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein on Arc weekend later on in that season.

This son of New Bay won a Group 3 in his first two starts of last season, which bodes well first time out here, and was only a length behind the winner when fourth in the Prix du Moulin. He should be far too good for this field and victory should be on the cards.

15:40 - Pierre Bonnard @ 10/11

Aidan O’Brien’s record in this race is imperious and he holds the record, having trained the winner 17 times.

Delacroix won it for him last year and we should see a much improved performance from PIERRE BONNARD on this occasion, after flopping last time out.

His two-year-old form is levels above Sunday’s opposition and he has already beaten two of his four rivals in the past.

A Group 1 winner over this trip in France last term, he will probably thrive over 1m4f or further in the long run but he should be more than up to winning this.

NAPS table with Betfred Insights.