One might have thought that bookmakers would have sent Sir Des Champs galloping out in the Cheltenham Gold Cup betting, following that performance at Punchestown on Tuesday.

Excelebration, a Group 1 winner for Marco Botti last season made a successful debut for Aidan O’Brien when outclassing his six rivals in the Big Bad Bob Gladness Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

English challenger Spirit Quartz can provide the answer to the Listed five furlongs Woodlands Stakes at Naas this afternoon.

Aidan O’Brien’s David Livingston, who lowered the colours of the highly-touted Akeed Mofeed in the Beresford Stakes, is one of 12 entries in Sunday’s P.W.McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.

Camelot, the ante-post favourite for the 2000 Guineas and Derby, pleased Aidan O’Brien as he featured among a huge team of Ballydoyle horses to work after racing at the Curragh yesterday.

John Oxx is relishing the prospect of the new Flat season, which gets underway tomorrow at the Curragh.

THAT was some eye-catching performance by Don Cossack in a bumper at Naas a week ago.

ON a day when reigning champion Pat Smullen completed a superb treble to keep his title ambitions alive, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Nephrite defeated the highly regarded, odds-on favourite Born To Sea in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown yesterday.

Nephrite upset the odds-on Born To Sea with a decisive win over Sea The Stars’ brother in the JRA Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown.

John Oxx’s Born To Sea faces six rivals as he bids to keep his unbeaten record intact in the JRA Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown on Sunday.

THE Aidan O’Brien-trained Wave should prove tough to beat in the Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Fillies Maiden in Dundalk tonight where 25 minute intervals between some races will be implemented as an experiment.

CAPE Blanco is to be retired to stud after sustaining a knee injury when winning at Belmont Park in America on Saturday.

Aidan O'Brien is responsible for the six of the 16 five-day entries for Saturday's Dubai Dewhurst Stakes as he seeks to win the seven-furlong race for a third time.

ST. DEVOTE, under a strong ride from Barry Geraghty, proved best in the Grade 3 Kilbegnet Novice Chase at Roscommon yesterday.