Leopardstown tomorrow brings the curtain down on what has been a momentous Irish Flat season.

The final detail is almost certain to be confirmed by Pat Smullen who can finish off the defence of his jockeys' crown with aplomb aboard Ansar in the Tote November Handicap.

In fact, Moayed in the Eyrefield Stakes and One More Round in the conditions race can also help improve the 24-year-old rider's total of 80 winners so far.

However, a season that has contained 22 Group One victories, including eight Classics and a first Breeders' Cup race, testifies to the dominance of the Aidan O'Brien Ballydoyle yard.

As well as a total of almost £3.5 million in domestic prizemoney, O'Brien has also picked up nearly £3.4 million in Britain while becoming the first overseas trainer since Vincent O'Brien in 1977 to win the British trainers' title.

Dermot Weld is five behind O'Brien in the winners total at home but looks sure to improve on his tally of 79 over the weekend.

Ansar is maturing into a top- flight hurdler and comes to the November Handicap on the back of a fine victory on soft ground at Tipperary.

The Weld runner missed out on the English Cesarewitch for this race, and the patient policy can pay off.

Weld and Smullen picked up the Eyrefield with the double Leger winner Vinnie Roe last year and Moayed's distance victory on soft going at Tipperary suggests he will repel a four-strong team of Ballydoyle fillies.

The feature at Cork is the £35,000 City Life National where The Bunny Boiler gets the marathon journey he has always looked like relishing.

Wexford was hardly his track last time out when a mistake three out finally put paid to his chance.

Florida Pearl's campaign to make it third time lucky in the Cheltenham Gold Cup is expected to get off to a successful start at Down Royal this afternoon.

Six opponents, including Hindiana from Britain, take on the former great hope of Irish racing in the £110,000 James Nicholson Champion Chase but Florida Pearl looks primed to take care of them.

The Willie Mullins-trained star appeared in fine shape when schooling after racing at Punchestown last weekend and there was a real spark to how he jumped five fences at a decent pace over a mile and a quarter.

"He is as forward as I can get him without a race," says Mullins who will again train Florida Pearl for the Tote Gold Cup. Paddy Power rate him a 16 to1 shot to do better than a third in 1998 and a runner-up position to Looks Like Trouble a year later.

Ned Kelly had little more than an exercise canter to beat two rivals on his reappearance in the Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle at Down Royal yesterday.

Norman Williamson sent last season's top novice past Joe Cullen at the fourth last and quickly went clear to score by an effortless 20 lengths.

"That tells us that he has trained on and is heading in the right direction," said trainer Edward O'Grady, who added, "I'm very pleased and relieved, and we will have to consider the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown next Saturday on the way to the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse."

Paddy Power reacted by cutting Ned Kelly to 8 to 1 (from 10s) for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, with Istabraq their 6 to 4 favourite.

Sean Graham left the O'Grady-trained five-year-old unchanged at 10 to 1.

Moscow Flyer, a faller on his chasing debut at Fairyhouse last month, made no mistake in the Seacat Beginners Chase.

The eight-year-old gelding put in a fine round of jumping, leading after two out to beat Royal Jake by a comfortable four lengths.