Marnane wary of ground for his Abergwaun pair

David Marnane’s high-class sprinter Nocturnal Affair makes his first appearance of the turf season in the Abergwaun Stakes at Tipperary tonight.

The six-year-old won the prestigious Portland Handicap at Doncaster and a Listed race at Dundalk last year before a successful winter campaign in Dubai, where he landed a valuable handicap and ran four excellent races in defeat.

He was last seen finishing a little over two lengths behind Ortensia in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night in March and Marnane feels today’s race should sharpen him up perfectly for the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 24.