Racing: Stravinsky beaten in Curragh mud

STRAVINSKY HAS been pushed out from 5-1 to 12-1 for the 2,000 Guineas after defeat at the Curragh yesterday at odds of 2-5. Aidan O'Brien's charge failed by a head to hold a late challenge by the 10-1 chance Tarfaa in the seven-furlong Loughbrown Race on very soft ground.

"He was always going to be vulnerable in that ground. Michael Kinane [his jockey] said he just got tired in the last 50 yards," O'Brien said.

Kevin Prendergast, trainer of the winner, commented: "Tarfaa handles the soft well. We will work towards the Irish 2000 Guineas with him now."

O'Brien refused to rule Stravinsky out of the Newmarket Classic: "There's a month to go and I have a group of horses engaged. Stravinsky was a bit keen today. Black Rock Desert would handle ease better than him and he may be the next one of our Newmarket entries to run."

Coral eased Stravinsky to 12-1 from 5-1 for the Guineas, while Mujahid, at the head of the market, tightened to 7-2 from 4-1. Stravinsky's stablemates Orpen and Black Rock Desert were trimmed to 10-1 and 12-1 from 12-1 and 14-1 respectively. The Tote removed Stravinsky from their 2,000 Guineas betting and cut Black Rock Desert to 8-1 from 12-1.

O'Brien's King Of Connaught won the juvenile event, while his Derby hope Saffron Walden took the three-year-old maiden over a mile. The son of Sadler's Wells started at 4-6.

Dorans Pride, a Cheltenham Gold Cup flop, won the two-mile race on only his second-ever Flat outing as a prep for the Punchestown Festival.