Mick Halford is charting a possible path to the Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger with his two smart stayers Certerach and Dabadiyan.

Trainer Michael Halford started the New Year at Dundalk in superb form last night, completing a 105/1 treble with Settle For Red, Victors Beach and Senyuman, ridden by apprentices Conor Hoban and Shane Kelly respectively, deputising for suspended stable-jockey Shane Foley.

Odds-on favourite Dabadiyan, Declan McDonogh’s only ride of the evening, completed his hat-trick and sent punters home happy when landing last night’s finale in Down Royal, Her Majesty’s Plate.

You'd imagine the Irish Derby will now slot permanently into Saturday evening and it does seem to be the best policy.

Placed in both the Dante Stakes in York and the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Trading Leather made it third-time-lucky as a three-year-old and booked his ticket to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby when justifying 5/4 favouritism in the listed TRM Silver Stakes in the Curragh yesterday.