Who won the 18:45 Curragh on 26 June 2026?
Darius Dark (IRE) won the 18:45 Curragh at SP 4.00. Ridden by Rory Mulligan. Trained by J P Murtagh.
← All racecards18:45
Curragh
IrelandFitzpatrick's Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Derby Handicap
Friday, 26 June 2026
1m4f·Flat·Good To Firm·13 runners·€17,670
Result
AI top pick was a non-runnerRace report
- 1stDarius Dark (IRE)Rory Mulligan·J P Murtagh3/1F·4.00SP
- 2ndKeepsgettingbetter (IRE)Paddy Harnett·Donnacha Aidan O'Brien·beaten 0.3 lengths7/2·4.50SP
- 3rdCeltic Druid (IRE)Sadhbh Tormey·T G McCourt·beaten .5 lengths18/1·19.00SP
Race time
2m 33.14s+1.24s vs std
Slightly slow — minor pace variance, nothing to read into.
In-running (Darius Dark (IRE))
“Tracked the leaders - moved into 3rd under 4f out - pushed along to the front 2f out - ridden 1.5f out, clear 1f out - stayed on resolutely as the advantage narrowed close home”
Settled · 1pt level stake = 3.00 pt return on the winnerTipping P&L →
Furlong's verdict
Reading the form…
AI-written, grounded in our data on this race. May be wrong. Verify before staking. Opinion, not advice.
Selections by model
Head-to-head dashboard →v1.055.4/100 rating
Kool One
—· informational only
Top-rated, but filter rejects this race
v1.1
No pick
Race outside the segment-edge filter
Each-way54.9/100 rating
Faro Island
13.00SmarketsSBK
Top-half AI rating in the EW price sweet spot. Each-way splits stake: half on the win, half on the place portion.
Racing Alpha pick
Kool One
Nicola Burns(2) · Conor David Maxwell · 5yo
55.4/100
+0.5 vs next best (54.9)
The Racing Alpha rating combines four signals. Below is the breakdown — components driving this pick first.
- Freshness10% weight85very strong33d since last run (fresh)
- Trainer20% weight63averageConor David Maxwell: 1/4 winners last 14d (25%)
- Form20% weight50averageLast 6: 1-4-5-1-7
- Ratings50% weight49below averageOR 73
Marketno market price available
v1.3 rating · weights and method explained on /about. Tips are opinions, not advice.
Runners
| Pos | # | Dr | Horse | Jockey / Trainer | Form | Wt | OR | RPR | TS | AI | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 2 | 6yo · G · br | 6600 | 10-02 | 82 | — | — | 33.0 | 66/1·67.00 SP | |
| 8 | 6 | 4 | 8yo · G · chpFT P | 06254 | 9-06 | 72 | — | — | 47.3 | 13/2·7.50 SP | |
| 11 | 7 | 3 | 4yo · F · b | 94193 | 9-05 | 71 | — | — | 41.8 | 10/1·11.00 SP | |
| 13 | 8 | 14 | 4yo · G · b | 3660 | 9-04 | 70 | — | — | 41.0 | 100/1·101.00 SP | |
| 6 | 10 | 17 | 6yo · M · grt | 29700 | 9-02 | 68 | — | — | 29.0 | 40/1·41.00 SP | |
| 7 | 11 | 1 | 4yo · G · chp | 31041 | 9-01 | 67 | — | — | 54.9 | 10/1·11.00 SP | |
| 3 | 12 | 13 | 5yo · G · b | 71147 | 8-13 | 65 | — | — | 40.4 | 18/1·19.00 SP | |
| 14 | 14 | 10 | 4yo · G · bt | 00003 | 8-11 | 63 | — | — | 42.0 | 9/1·10.00 SP | |
| 4 | 15 | 7 | 6yo · G · bt | 46442 | 8-10 | 62 | — | — | 45.7 | 18/1·19.00 SP | |
| 2 | 16 | 8 | 3yo · F · btFT T | 00113 | 8-10 | 76 | — | — | 47.2 | 7/2·4.50 SP | |
| 1 | 18 | 11 | 3yo · G · bpFT P | 09011 | 8-08 | 74 | — | — | 52.3 | 3/1F·4.00 SP | |
| 5 | 19 | 5 | 3yo · G · b | 55620 | 8-08 | 74 | — | — | 48.3 | 13/2·7.50 SP | |
| 9 | 20 | 19 | 3yo · C · b | 547 | 8-07 | 73 | — | — | 44.8 | 11/1·12.00 SP | |
| 10 | 22 | 22 | 8yo · M · b | 7472 | 8-07 | 59 | — | — | 35.9 | 18/1·19.00 SP | |
| — | — | 12 | 4yo · G · b | 356 | 9-08 | 74 | — | — | 40.7 | — | |
| — | — | 15 | 5yo · G · btp | 93558 | 8-08 | 60 | — | — | 45.1 | — | |
| — | — | 9 | 5yo · M · bb | 12175 | 8-13 | 65 | — | — | 52.4 | — | |
| — | — | 23 | 5yo · G · bt | 14517 | 9-07 | 73 | — | — | 55.4 | — | |
| — | — | 20 | 5yo · G · b | 204088 | 10-00 | 80 | — | — | 49.2 | — | |
| — | — | 21 | 4yo · G · b | 74783 | 8-09 | 61 | — | — | 36.9 | — | |
| — | — | 6 | 8yo · G · btp | 99055 | 9-02 | 68 | — | — | 33.5 | — | |
| — | — | 16 | 3yo · C · ch | 809 | 8-07 | 73 | — | — | 53.8 | — | |
| — | — | 18 | 8yo · G · b | 48804 | 9-09 | 75 | — | — | 39.3 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Did the Racing Alpha AI tip win the 18:45 Curragh?
No — the AI top pick (Kool One) was a non-runner or unplaced.
What were the placings in the 18:45 Curragh?
Top finishers: 1. Darius Dark (IRE) (4.00), 2. Keepsgettingbetter (IRE) (4.50), 3. Celtic Druid (IRE) (19.00).
What was the winning time for the 18:45 Curragh?
The winning time was 2m 33.14s, 1.24s slower than standard.
Racing Post verdict
Third-partyKeepsgettingbetter has two wins in her last five starts and finished a length behind the winner last time off a lower mark; she is progressive and acts at a mile to a mile and a half on good and all-weather. A first-time tongue-tie is added and the trainer and jockey combination inspire confidence. Granville Street, Royal Alliance and Faro Island are the dangers — each has recent placed form and conditions to suit. Keepsgettingbetter is our selection.
Racing Post pick: Keepsgettingbetter
Editorial verdict from Racing Post via the Racing API — not generated by Racing Alpha.
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