Trustyourinstinct, held up at the back by Declan McDonogh, rallied on the outside to lead close home and win the Group 2 Curragh Cup by three-quarters of a length at the Curragh. (David Betts)
Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Trustyourinstinct (13/2) won the Group 2 1xBet.ie Proud Supporters Curragh Cup at The Curragh Racecourse, County Kildare, Ireland, and may now be aimed at Australia’s Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, who was responsible for three of the six-runner Curragh Cup field, the chestnut gelded son of Churchill was second choice of the stable based on both jockey bookings and on betting market support. The former Irish champion flat rider’s brother Donnacha, and father, Aidan, also had one runner each in the race, meaning the O’Brien family was responsible for five of the six runners.
Joseph O’Brien, a former Breeders’ Cup-winning jockey and trainer, provided the favourite in Al Riffa (4/6 favourite), who won this contest 12 months ago before winning the final Irish flat racing classic of the 2025 season, the Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger, and he was the choice of the Carriganóg Racing handler’s number one rider, Dylan Browne McMonagle.
The six-year-old Trustyourinstinct was held up in last position for much of the 1 mile and 6-furlong race by his rider Declan McDonogh. The combination was still in last place at the halfway stage of the contest before making headway into fourth position at the one-eighth pole. Racing on the outside of the sextet, the J.P. McManus-owned gelding ran on well in the final stages to lead close home, before staying on to win by three-quarters-of-one length.
Happy Pharoah (25/1), second to the Ascot Gold Cup winner Scandinavia in the Saval Beg at Leopardstown on his most recent start and handled by Joseph O’Brien’s younger brother, Donnacha, took second place in the hands of jockey Paddy Harnett. The four-year-old bay gelding, who holds an entry in the 2026 Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger at The Curragh in September, had raced prominently throughout before narrowly leading three furlongs from home. He held off the race favourite Al Riffa by three-quarters-of-one-length to take the runner-up spot – providing the O’Brien brothers with a trifecta in the Group 2.
Reacting to Trustyourinstinct’s victory, Joseph O’Brien admitted:
“He’s a good horse. We were pretty happy with the trip to be honest. I think Declan (McDonogh, winning rider) quietly fancied him. He’s run great all year and like I say, particularly here. He’s at his best here. He’s a great servant.
“I think he’ll be coming back for every group race at The Curragh that he can run in, the (Irish St) Leger being one of them probably. Potentially he could go to the Melbourne Cup. It’ll be an option for him for sure.”
Trustyourinstinct is now a four-time stakes winner and has a total of nine career victories from 22 runs. He holds entries in both the Group 3 Tote Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown on 6 August, as well as the Group 1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger the following month at The Curragh – two races he is likely to compete in before heading to Australia.
With the Lexus Melbourne Cup in November a possible race for the gelding, he would provide O’Brien with a chance to win a third Melbourne Cup, following wins with Rekindling in 2017 and Twilight Payment in 2020. Trustyourinstinct’s owner, J.P. McManus, who is Ireland’s leading jumps owner, was second in the Melbourne showpiece last season with Goodie Two Shoes – also trained by Joseph O’Brien.
O’Brien could be at least double handed at Flemington in Melbourne on the first Tuesday in November as the Curragh Cup third placegetter, Al Riffa, who is owned by an Australian syndicate, ran seventh in last season’s Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup, and owners are anxious to target the so called “Race That Stops A Nation” again.
