Icequeen a confident choice in fillies event

IT is the calm before the storm in Ireland this weekend with small fields at Leopardstown tonight and a programme which has little or nothing to recommend it at Wexford tomorrow.

Alexander Icequeen is a confident nap choice to land the Listed Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Sweet Mimosa Stakes for fillies at Leopardstown.

Dermot Weld’s daughter of Soviet Star is best in at the weights and it will be disappointing should she fail to deliver.

Alexander Icequeen performed solidly on this track in a Group Three over seven furlongs last time, finishing a neck and the same third behind Miss Sally and Lock And Key.

She should certainly reverse placings with Miss Sally on 6lbs better terms. You could argue six furlongs now could prove on the short side for the selection, but expect Pat Smullen to make plenty of use of his charge.

Smullen and Weld also have prospects with Cairdeas, particularly if the rain materialises, in the Group Three Meld Stakes over ten furlongs.

He seems to go on any ground, but seems most effective with cut. Cairdeas disappointed in France early last month, finishing only seventh in a Group Two at Chantilly,.

But the mile and a half then may have been further then he cared to travel and the son of Darshaan is best judged on his previous six lengths defeat of Yeats over ten furlongs at the Curragh.

Tropical Lady is being kept busy, but rates the danger on her creditable third to Caradak and Arakan at the Curragh last Sunday.

The Tryos Stakes can surely be safely narrowed down to Aidan O’Brien’s Marcus Andronicus and Jim Bolger’s Modeeroch.

Marcus Andronicus made a winning debut at York and was then far from disgraced at Royal Ascot at York when fifth behind Red Clubs in the Coventry Stakes.

Modeeroch is a worthy opponent, having overcome a slipped saddle to beat the subsequent winners, Oh How Lovely and Sweet Afton, at Naas. Marcus Andronicus gets the nod.

Visit Wexford, who looked much improved when scoring at the Curragh, is a hopeful choice to defy an 8lbs rise in the weights in the FM 104 Handicap.

Wexford has a grim appearance, but a little on Willie Mullins’ Shannons Cross in the Bumper may not miss the mark by much!

Katie Walsh, in irresistible form, takes the ride and the six-year-old won’t have to come on a whole lot from his fifth of 18 to Paulsworth at Roscommon to take a hand in this weak event.