Go with Unaccompanied
The versatile mare, equally at home on the flat or over hurdles, produced a career-best effort in another Listed event at Navan last month.
She was beaten a neck into second by the best stayer in the business right now, Fame And Glory, and had Steps To Freedom (gave 3lbs) three lengths away in third place.
It would be wrong to read too much into that display by Unaccompanied because Fame And Glory was making his seasonal debut and surely far from fully tuned up. Nevertheless, it was still a smart effort on the part of the selection.
John Oxx’s Saddler’s Rock is Unaccompanied’s most interesting rival. He went from strength to strength last season, finishing by slamming the ultra-smart Opinion Poll by four lengths in the Group 2 Doncaster Cup in September.
But this is his first outing of the campaign, he is reportedly being geared at the Ascot Gold Cup later this month, and faces a stiff task trying to give Unaccompanied 10lbs.
Aidan O’Brien’s Tower Rock should take all of the beating in the Nijinsky Stakes, a contest which will surely throw up a share of winners in the coming weeks.
The Dylan Thomas colt appears to be rapidly on the upgrade, on the evidence of his neck second to the in-form Jim Bolger-trained Light Heavy in the Group 2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial on this track last time.
O’Brien can also provide the answer to the mile and a half Leopardstown Maiden with once-raced El Salvador.
The son of Galileo was beaten a short head and four and three quarter lengths when third to Mizani and Handazan at Naas.
But he is now fancied to beat Handazan, with that experience under his belt and a further two furlongs to travel.
