Noble gets nod
This is an interesting and competitive little contest, but Dermot Weld's five-year-old looks well up to the task.
He ran twice over flights at the Galway Festival, starting with a third behind Winterdown Star on the Tuesday.
Four days later, he performed even better, beaten five lengths into second by Noel Meade's gambled-on Gay Sloane.
Both of those Galways contests were run over two miles and Noble Crusader certainly gave the impression he would be better over further, so this extra two and a half furlongs looks a real plus.
Meade supplies the main worry in Skylancer, who has shown plenty of promise in two outings in Ireland, over hurdles at Navan and on all-weather at Dundalk.
Formerly trained in France by Andre Fabre, the In The Wings gelding scored twice on the flat in his native country.
Tony Martin's Green Mile, he could be thrown into the race, gets the vote to land the Heart Of Down Ulster Cesarewitch Handicap.
A very versatile sort, Green Mile has been a fine money-spinner for his handler, both over hurdles and fences.
The six-year-old did perform dismally the last time he was asked to race on the level, at Listowel back in September, but the soft ground then was all against him.
