The Group Two Blandford Stakes is the e 100,000 feature at the Curragh this afternoon with three British-trained fillies travelling over.
The top-rated of that trio is Lady Cecil's hot Snap, who owes her 113 rating to an early-season success in the Nell Gwynn Stakes at Newmarket where she beat Sky Lantern, a performance which saw her upped 35lb from a lowly 78.
Well held in the 1000 Guineas behind Sky Lantern, she wasn't seen out until Goodwood when third behind Winsili and Thistle Bird in one of the shock results of the season, with Sky Lantern and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Just The Judge down the field.
Carrying the Frankel colours, hot Snap must take all the beating here.
Alive Alive O, in the JP McManus colours, might be something of a danger. Tommy Stack's filly looked a budding superstar when demolishing the reopposing Magical Dream in a Navan Listed affair in May, since when she has been pulled out of the Ribblesdale, Pretty Polly Stakes and the Irish Oaks because of ground condtions. Some give is essential in her case. hughie Morrison's Shiroco Star, runner-up in both the epsom and Curragh Oaks last season, ran a good third to Ambivalent here in the Pretty Polly but she was well in arrears in the Nassau at Goodwood.
Dermot Weld's Princess highway had to be pulled out of last Saturday's Champion Stakes having come into season, but her 110 rating is a deserved mark and she may give hot Snap most to do.
Ballydoyle's Cristoforo Colombo is the headline act in the Group Three Renaissance Stakes over six furlongs. Last seen when finishing fifth in the Newmarket 2000 Guineas, he could still take high rank as a sprinter despite his interrupted campaign.
Balmont Mast has Johnny Murtagh on board and, along with Artistic Appeal and Russian Soul, is a worthy opponent. Nocturnal Affair has yet to recover his foreign form but Dandy Boy looks the more favoured from this yard.
Aidan O'Brien takes the wraps off a couple of interesting newcomers, particularly Rip Van Winkle's brother Illusive, in the opening two-year-old mile maiden but riding arrangements suggest Five Star General is the main hope.
Dermot Weld's Leafcutter, in first-time blinkers, might improve on his hanging Galway second to Iniesta.
The Ballydoyle handler will give the leg-up to his daughter Sarah on Fairylike in the Amateur Derby, although the five-year-old mare is generally exposed, and there is more to like about Dancers Dilemma and Sceilg, both of whom represent leading trainer/jockey combinations.
Silver Shuffle remains well treated though. Three years ago this was a e 56,000 race, yet now it is worth just e 7,245 to the winner.
The apprentice handicap has also been trimmed back to a 50-70 race with e 5,520 to the winner. Top weights At Boolavogue and eighteen Summers will take beating, but I'll take a small interest in Jan Jeffer and wouldn't be surprised to see Inate Value run well.
My Good Brother is attractive at the weights against Nero emperor and Sassaway in the five-furlong sprint handicap where Summer Isles, upped 22lb for her easy Dundalk success last weekend, will be breathing rarefied air.
Regulation beat all bar Moran Gra in the Irish Cambridgeshire here recently and attempts to go one better in the mile handicap.