Duke Of Marmalade looks just Champion
The ground is going to ride, at best, on the soft side and that really complicates the issue. On a decent surface, there is little doubt this could be narrowed down to a match between Duke Of Marmalade and New Approach, but testing conditions often prove a great leveller and a minor shock certainly cannot be ruled out.
It remains to be seen whether Aidan O’Brien will allow the Duke to take his place. There have to be real doubts, but should he decide to do so the son of Danehill remains the one to beat.
We all know his best form is on top of the ground, but he has enough in the book on soft to entitle him to preference. Duke Of Marmalade has gone from strength to strength this season, and will now be seeking a sixth Group 1 success of the campaign.
His latest victory came in the Juddmonte International at Newmarket when beating Phoenix Tower a hard-earned three parts of a length with New Approach a further two and a half lengths away in third.
The Epsom Derby winner New Approach was almost certainly in need of that outing at Newmarket and, given his proven ability on this ground, has to be rated a major threat.
He pulled very hard both at Epsom and last time, however, so it will be fascinating to see what tactics Jim Bolger adopts on this occasion. Could New Approach surprise and return to front-running, which served him well earlier in his career?
The likes of King Of Rome, Multidimensional and Mores Wells simply aren’t good enough in theory, but seem to relish heavy ground, so it would not be wise to dismiss their prospects.
Lush Lashes and Halfway To Heaven are the proven Group 1 performers in the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes. Lush Lashes is a brilliant filly, but all the evidence is she will struggle on the ground.
Halfway To Heaven, as a daughter of Pivotal, has a better chance of handling it, but there are no doubts about Carribean Sunset and she gets the nap.
The daughter of Danehill Dancer is not too far off either Lush Lashes or Halfway To Heaven on form anyway and there was much to admire in the way she ploughed through the heavy ground when scoring by four and a half lengths on this track last time.
Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen team up with Carribean Sunset and could be in for a big afternoon. Their Famous Name, a real mud-lark, is hard to oppose in the At The Races Kilternan Stakes.
He hasn’t been seen since finishing a head second to Vision D’Etat in the French Derby at Chantilly in early June, but has shown in the past he goes well fresh.
Weld’s Carefree Smile gets the vote in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden, having chased home Oui Say Oui on her debut at the Curragh. Oui Say Oui went on to fill the runner-up spot behind the progressive Again in the Debutante Stakes at Leopardstown.
A further Weld-Smullen possibility is Akrisun in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Maiden for colts and geldings, having finished a close third in a Curragh maiden, on heavy ground, on his debut.
If the inimitable duo don’t clean us out then we can play up what’s left on their Dark Humour in the Rambo Horseware Median Auction Maiden at Dundalk tomorrow.
A creditable second to John Oxx’s useful Sea The Stars at Leopardstown, Dark Humour is fancied to show his appreciation of this drop in class.
David Wachman’s Miss Puss, a costly odds-on shot when failing to cope with the late surge of Aidan O’Brien’s newcomer, Hail Caeser, at Tipperary, can set the record straight in the Rhino Horsewear Race. The third and fourth then, Greannmhar and Barizan respectively, have won in the meantime.
