Railway Stakes 2011

2.10 Curragh

Dubai Duty Free Railway Stakes (group 2) (Class 1)  (2YO only)

Winner €57,150

Pick: Choir (win)

Choir: Well bred colt (half-brother to useful Rising Force and dam half-sister to smart performers) & made a very taking debut when winning conditions event in clever style; Form of that has worked out since and trainer record (dominant in this race) and booking of Ryan Moore (3 winners for this stable at Royal Ascot) mean business.

French Emperor: Used debut as springboard for comfortable win in Leopardstown maiden next time, but put in place with some ease by Lillebourne Lad last time out and left out of calculations.

Lillbourne Lad: Backed off the boards on debut and same story again when stepped up into conditions company but unable to give weight to a more than useful horse and smashed Snowflake Dancer by 6 lengths in listed race at Naas on latest start; Sure to go well for in form team.

Tough As Nails: Winner of the first juvenile race of the season here but lost the race through greenness (form worked out); That nothing compared to his 7 – length destruction of subsequent winner at Tipperary & then pushed Coventry Stakes winner to a short head here latest (Queen Mary fourth back in third); Standout on form.

Vault: Eighth foal; half-brother to 7f winner Top Class; Looked useful prospect when beating Dragon Pulse in maiden here on debut and says a lot that he runs here, although he does look like the yard’s second string.

VERDICT: Tough As Nails is a mouth-watering betting proposition with the form he has in the book but the same could be said from a racing view of CHOIR, whose stable has 10 wins in this event since 1997 and will have a good line through the aforementioned horse through their winner. Lillbourne Lad is next best.