We’re heading to the Curragh on Sunday for day two of our 2026 Irish Champions Festival tips, with four more Group One events completing a stellar weekend. On a card which has almost €2.5million in prize money up for grabs, here are our best bets in the feature events:
14:50 Tip
14:50 CURRAGH – SUN GODDESS @ 5/4 (NAP)
Having already beaten the boys at Group One level in the Phoenix Stakes before trouncing her rivals in a sales race at York last month, it is difficult to look beyond Aidan O’Brien ’s filly in the Moyglare Stud Stakes . The daughter of Sioux Nation has her stamina to prove over seven furlongs but can prove a class apart if she does stay.
O’Brien said: “Sun Goddess seems to have come out of York very well. We probably learnt plenty about her – we learnt that she handles an ease in the ground and we learnt that there’s every chance that she could get seven furlongs as well.”
15:25 Tip
15:25 CURRAGH – COMANCHE BRAVE @ 11/4
It could be Donnacha O’Brien ’s turn to secure elite-level success in the Flying Five Stakes with this hardy sprinter. Comanche Brave returned from taking on the incredible Ka Ying Rising in Hong Kong to win the Group Two Greenlands Stakes here in good style. He was then a touch unlucky at Royal Ascot but bounced back in fine fashion by landing the July Cup .
Those runs were all over six furlongs but dropping back to five should not be a problem judged on how well he travelled throughout the Newmarket contest.
16:00 Tip
16:00 CURRAGH – GIANT SEQUOIA @ 3/1
We’re back to Aidan O’Brien in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes , a race the Ballydoyle maestro has won 12 times, scoring with the likes of Hawk Wing, George Washington, Gleneagles and Churchill . Giant Sequoia has followed a tried and tested route to this point, breaking his duck over the course and distance before winning the Futurity three weeks ago, and he is expected to put that experience to good use against the exciting Monogram and British raider Dr Rascal.
“Everything has gone really well for Giant Sequoia all the way along really,” said O’Brien. “He wasn’t as impressive as we thought he could be the last day, but with the benefit of hindsight it could be good for him because he probably learnt plenty.”
16:35 Tip
16:35 CURRAGH – SCANDINAVIA @ 2/5
Aidan O’Brien ’s supreme stayer has rattled off a magnificent seven straight wins and is hard to oppose in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger . Scandinavia had to pull out all the stops to edge out Trawlerman in an epic renewal of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot but then routed the same rival at Glorious Goodwood , suggesting the four-year-old is still getting better and better.
Dropping down in distance to a mile and six furlongs could make things interesting but it will still be a big surprise if he cannot see off stablemate Jan Brueghel and Joseph O’Brien’s progressive Trustyourinstinct .
Irish Champions Festival tips for Sunday
14:50 Curragh - Sun Goddess @ 5/4
15:25 Curragh - Comanche Brave @ 11/4
16:00 Curragh - Giant Sequoia @ 3/1
16:35 Curragh - Scandinavia @ 2/5
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