Bank on Imperator Augustus
O’Brien is giving his son Joseph every chance to win the apprentice championship and, although he trails joint-leaders Gary Carroll and Ben Curtis by two, the teenager, who has lodged an appeal against a two-day ban picked up last week, has a number of big chances.
And the twice-raced Holy Roman Emperor colt Imperator Augustus stands out as the best of his eight rides, in the six-furlong two-year-old maiden.
Down the field on debut in the Curragh maiden won by Stage Master, Imperator Augustus showed distinct improvement in his second start, making most of the running in a maiden over tonight’s course and distance before finishing second to stable-companion and even-money favourite Park Avenue.
At the time, that appeared modest form. But Park Avenue went on to finish third to the smart Dubai Prince in a Group 3 at Leopardstown, earning a rating of 98, showing the selection’s effort in a different light.
Drawn low and possessing the pace to race prominently, Imperator Augustus is preferred to Dermot Weld’s Flic Flac (drawn high), no match for Dubawi Star over seven furlongs at Dundalk last time.
The Ballydoyle team might also click with Diogenes in the other juvenile maiden, the opening one-mile contest.
A son of Galileo and the classy, if quirky Sophisticat, Diogenes stepped-up on his debut run at the Curragh to finish a solid fourth to, beaten little more than a length and a half, in the Leopardstown maiden won by Vastonea.
With further improvement expected, Diogenes might be capable of defying a wide draw here against the Kevin Prendergast-trained filly Asheerah, third to Manieree at Leopardstown.
Mark Johnston has enjoyed a tremendous strike-rate with his visitors to Dundalk in recent weeks. And Lovers Causeway, a three-time all-weather winner and successful at Wolverhampton last time, might be capable of continuing the Middleham trainer's run in the Crowne Plaza Champion Handicap.
And the consistent Mountain Coral, ridden for Frank Oakes by Declan McDonogh, has solid each-way claims in the bookings@dundalkstadium.com Handicap as he steps up to seven furlongs.
