Sport

RACING SHORTS

TRAINER Mick Halford is confident Mizzava can put a recent no-show behind her in the Dance Design Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.

A winner on her seasonal reappearance at Limerick in early April, the three-year-old then ran two excellent races to finish fifth in both the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. She ran her most disappointing race of the year when eighth in the Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran Park last time, but, having found a viable excuse, Halford expects much better at the weekend.

The County Kildare handler said: "We're hoping to run her on Sunday if all goes well. She was in season the last day, which explains why she didn't give her running at all. "She'd been running well all year before that and although all these races are competitive and hard to win, I think she's due her day. "I wouldn't want the ground too fast. A drop of rain wouldn't do us any harm as I wouldn't like to see the word 'firm' in the going description." Mizzava is one of 16 fillies and mares engaged for the nine-furlong Group Three, with Dermot Weld's Along Came Casey and Jim Bolger's Yorkshire Oaks fourth Scintillula the two highest rated horses in the field. Other leading contenders include Eddie Lynam's three-times winner Pearl Of Africa, the Aidan O'Brientrained Say and Kevin Prendergast's La Collina.

n MY Titania will stick to maiden company for her second start after she was taken out of the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.

Trainer John Oxx is looking at a seven-furlong maiden at Leopardstown on September 7 for the daughter of his 2009 champion colt Sea The Stars, who made a pleasing debut when runner-up to Vallado at the Dublin track earlier this month. "She's in good shape. She didn't win on her racecourse debut so she's eligible for a maiden, which is the obvious next step," said the Currabeg handler. "There's one for her on Saturday week at Leopardstown, a nice seven-furlong maiden. "She ran very promisingly. We were very happy with her and she just got a bit tired at the end. "The winner (Vallado) went on and won the big sales race at the Curragh on Saturday, so the form was franked. "Sea The Stars has had a number of runners now in the last 10 days or so all finishing placed and running nice introductions. "There's a whole bunch of them looking like they will be winning shortly."

n HARASIYA is to bid for a second Pattern-race success in the Lanwades Stud Blandford Stakes at the Curragh on September 14. Winner of the Group Three Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown as a two-year-old, the John Oxx-trained filly went on finish third in the Moyglare Stud Stakes 12 months ago.

She has tackled Group One company in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Pretty Polly Stakes in both her starts this season and was taken out of the Dance Design Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday to wait for the Blandford. "She will run in the Blandford Stakes on the 14th of September," said Oxx. "She has a fair few entries and has run well in Group company and been placed, so the Blandford is the next race for her."