Timeform Irish Preview: Capri to give O'Brien sweet sixteen in Beresford

Aidan O'Brien has monopolised the premier juvenile events in Ireland since taking over at Ballydoyle in 1996 and can boast an impressive tally of winners in all three of the Group 1 events confined to two-year-olds, namely the Phoenix Stakes (15 winners), the Moyglare Stud Stakes (7) and the National Stakes (10). The Group 2 Beresford Stakes may not offer the same level of prestige as those contests, but the one-mile event has still featured prominently on the Ballydoyle radar - Septimus and St Nicholas Abbey among his best winners of recent years - and O'Brien comes into the 2016 renewal seeking his sixth consecutive victory and a 16th in total.

Capri - the mount of Ryan Moore - would appear to be the standout candidate among the four horses O'Brien has engaged in Sunday's contest and he comes into the race on the back of a comfortable victory in a listed heat at Tipperary last month. He appeared to have more in hand than the official winning margin would suggest on that occasion, travelling strongly on the front end throughout and keeping on well under minimal pressure to see off the attentions of the useful Boyfriend Brian. He remains open to more improvement after just three starts in his short career to date and - 10 lb clear of his nearest rival on Timeform ratings - Capri is expected to take the world of beating on Sunday and should give a good account as he attempts to become O'Brien's 16th winner of the Beresford.  

Yucatan, Exemplar and Latin Beat will also be attempting to achieve the same feat for the master of Ballydoyle, with the former arguably the most interesting of that trio. He is bred in the purple (by Galileo and out of the multiple Group 1 winner, Six Perfections) and created a fair impression when shedding his maiden tag at the second time of asking over this C&D four weeks ago. He could only manage seventh on his racecourse debut, but showed the benefit of that outing with a determined success last time and wouldn't be without a chance if finding a similar level of improvement here.

Dermot Weld last won the Beresford Stakes with Ahkaam in 1995 and looks set to rely upon Firey Speech on Sunday. He was a dominant winner of a nursery at Galway in July and that form could hardly have worked out better, with the second, third and fifth all winners since. He produced an even better effort in defeat when second on his most recent outing in a Group 3 at Leopardstown, but appears to have plenty to find if he is to break Aidan O'Brien's stranglehold on Sunday's feature. That comment also applies to Eagle Spirit and Escape Clause, although the latter did look a promising sort when making a successful racecourse debut at Listowel.

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The Group 3 C.L. & M.F. Weld Park Stakes is one of the chief supporting races on the card and - like the Beresford Stakes - looks set to feature some exciting two-year-olds with possible Classic aspirations in 2017. Indeed, Qualify won the race in 2014 before going on to land the following year's Oaks at Epsom and Dermot Weld will be hoping his Eziyra can achieve the same feat. She ran well despite being unable to justify short odds in this grade last time - pulling three and a half lengths clear of the third - and remains open to more improvement after just three starts, with Grecian Light and Perle de la Mer seemingly her main dangers on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes gives some more established performers the chance to strut their stuff, with old favourite Gordon Lord Byron among a field of nine engaged. He has been below form since winning the Group 3 Minstrel Stakes here in July, though, and the most likely winner at this stage would appear to be Fort del Oro. She wasn't seen to best effect when fourth on her most recent outing in the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes over the C&D last month - forced to deliver her challenge from further back than ideal in a race where those ridden prominently came to the fore - and is 2 lb clear of her nearest rival on Timeform ratings here. She can generally be relied upon to run her race in this company and rates one of the better bets on an interesting day's racing at the Curragh.