Count poised to strike
Aidan O’Brien is beginning to dominate juvenile action and Count Of Limonade, a son of Duke Of Marmalade, has shown enough potential in his two starts to suggest he should prove too strong for his four rivals here.
Unplaced, but not beaten far, behind stable-companion Lines Of Battle on his debut at the Curragh, Count Of Limonade was then sent off an odds-on favourite for a seven-furlong maiden in Leopardstown.
Unable to cope with experienced front-runner Einsteins Folly, the Ballydoyle colt was beaten two lengths, form which received a boost when the winner ran a cracker, trying to concede 5lb. to the well-regarded Ballydoyle debutant Flying The Flag, at Leopardstown last Thursday. With two runs under his belt, Count Of Limonade should be primed to open his account and is expected to outpoint Kevin Prendergast’s filly Dayrooma, favourite when a promising third to Sinaniya on her debut in a Curragh maiden last week.
John Oxx has an excellent record in tonight’s feature, the listed Lenabane Stakes. And, although jockey-bookings might suggest otherwise, Oxx’s Handazan (Niall McCullagh) is chosen to give the Curragh trainer his fourth win in the race in five years.
