BALLINROBE PREVIEW:OFFICIAL FIGURES point directly to Alshahbaa as a likely winner of this evening's five-runner fillies race at Ballinrobe but Anaverna could spoil the statisticians party. The fact Alshahbaa is coming here for her first start of the season is significant considering she opened her two-year-old career with a Curragh maiden success and followed that up with a Group Three second to Cabaret.

Two further starts in 2009 were much less encouraging, though, and an official mark of ninety seven may be misleading.

Anaverna is no star and considering she is a daughter of the good sprinter Agnetha it was surprising she only broke her maiden at the sixth attempt in Wexford earlier this month. However, her front-running style will be a plus around this tight track.

Saponara has won two hurdle races this month for Dessie Hughes and the ex-David Myerscough trained horse is an interesting runner in the 14-furlong handicap now that she tries to add to a flat record which includes a Limerick success last year.

Super Say ran an encouraging debut at the Curragh eight days and can beat his three-year-old rivals in the opening maiden while the dual-course winner Cnoc Rua may continue his good Ballinrobe record in the handicap hurdle after an encouraging reappearance at Limerick.

The death took place on Friday of the three-times former senior steward of the Turf Club, Denis McCarthy. He was 89. He was a former chairman of the Racing Board and an honorary life president of Leopardstown.

“The position Leopardstown holds in world racing is down to Denis and he was a stalwart of Irish racing over the decades,” the Horse Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh said.