The Ladbrokes Irish Derby moves a step further tonight with eight more first round heats at Shelbourne and this session will see the majority of the very strong Dolores Ruth team swinging into action.

Over half the required 144 entries for the Ladbrokes Irish Derby have been received with another four days to go before Saturday’s closing stage.

Razldazl Jayfkay created history in the second round of the williamhill.com English Derby at Wimbledon when posting new figures for the 480 metre trip.

The week started on a very encouraging note with news of Red Mills’ sponsorship of the Irish Laurels at Curraheen Park for a three year period. It is a great boost for the sport in the south and will allow all involved to plan well into the future.

The dreadful weather conditions yesterday made things difficult for some trainers heading for the English Derby at Wimbledon which starts tomorrow night with 11 Irish runners in action in the first session.