The awesome strength of Ballydoyle's two year old squad is emphasised by Michael Kinane missing today's Leger to ride Giants Causeway in the Prix de la Salamandre. But tomorrow the champion jockey elect returns to the Curragh to ride what some believe is the pick of Aidan O'Brien's list of juveniles.
Bernstein has run twice and won twice, including handing out a four and a half length beating to that reliable yardstick Desert Sky in the Railway Stakes back in June. However the Storm Cat colt's reputation dwarfs even that achievement.
After an easy winning debut in May, O'Brien handed out the label "special" to describe Bernstein. That was enough to make Bernstein the ante-post favourite for next year's 2,000 Guineas and although Fasliyev's Group One performances since have meant he has garnered the headlines, Bernstein has significantly stayed close to the top of the bookmakers lists.
Today will be his first Group One test in the Aga Khan Studs National Stakes with O'Brien supplying four of the nine strong field. On form, the Tyros winner Royal Kingdom looks his biggest danger while the sole English runner Windsor Boy has won just an auction race at Beverley.
Dermot Weld's Leopardstown winner Jammaal is a colt of some potential but is probably a good ground operator so the sponsor's Sinndar may be the one to test Bernstein. Even with the ground and the hike up to a mile, it will be disappointing if it is a test that Bernstein cannot pass with flying colours.
It could be a very worthwhile day indeed for Kinane who looks to have come in for an exciting spare ride on Sir Michael Stoute's mud-loving Insatiable in the Group three Blandford Stakes. Insatiable has been less than brilliant this year but at his best, for instance when beaten by a whisker in last year's Champion Stakes, he should have far to many guns for Golden Rule and the remarkably tough Theatreworld.
Kinane looks a significant booking for King Of The Wire in the mile handicap. Pat Flynn's three-year-old threw his chance away at Leopardstown by drifting before justifying a lot of market support by a short head over ten furlongs here last month.
After looking to have the race sewn up at the furlong pole, King Of The Wire was all out to hold Nordic Isle by the minimum margin but he did pull quite hard early on in that race and the shorter trip tomorrow should allow him settle better. The other black type race on the card is the Listed Solonaway Stakes where the Lincoln winner Wray is selected to cope with the conditions better than some smart opposition. Liam Browne's tough horse looked unlucky in a competitive handicap at Leopardstown last week behind the English winner Trans Island. Jamie Spencer had to weave his way through from the back of the field but there shouldn't be any such traffic problems in this race.
Kinane and O'Brien may have to give best in both two year maidens which will be a rather unusual experience for them this season.
The $3.4 million dollar Seeking The Gold filly Inkling will hardly find conditions ideal for her debut in the opener and experience could give the edge to Soorah who caught the eye behind Giants Causeway at Naas during the summer. The newcomer Raypour is a speculative choice to beat Ballydoyle's Garcia Marquez in the last.
