Darroun can make most of drop in class
He was last seen when making no show in a Grade 3 at Auteuil just eight days ago and it is quite unusual to see a horse trained by Willie Mullins being asked to turn out again so quickly.
The conclusion to be drawn is that the trip to France took nothing out of the selection, who comes to this test with easily the best form of any of the contestants.
Prior to Auteuil, he ran a cracker in a Grade 1 at the Punchestown festival when fourth behind Hisaabaat.
Darroun ran far too freely in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham, but produced a particularly smart effort at Leopardstown in January, beating Hisaabaat comfortably.
Dermot Weld’s lightly-raced Cloudracer can deliver in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fund Race for fillies.
The daughter of Rail Link ran with promise first time up at the Curragh and then made no mistake with an emphatic seven lengths success at Wexford in August.
David Marnane’s Curia Regis gets the nod in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Median Auction Maiden.
He made steady improvement last season, ending with a decent effort when beaten a length and a half by David Wachman’s Hot Bed at Dundalk.
Lean Times, fourth behind Ballyadam Approach at Killarney, gets the nod in the moderate Mulholland Bookmakers’ Maiden Hurdle.
