News and preview: Hala Bek's weekend defection from Sunday's Budweiser Irish Derby means the Prix du Jockey Club winner Darsi is now the new ante-post favourite to provide the Aga Khan with an unprecedented sixth victory in Ireland's most valuable race.
It's becoming increasingly likely that both Darsi and the Epsom Derby runner-up, Dragon Dancer, will be supplemented into the classic at tomorrow's forfeit stage at a cost of €100,000 each.
Certainly the Curragh authorities will be hoping that both colts will be targeted at the race after Hala Bek was ruled out of the Derby following a poor piece of work on Saturday morning.
"He didn't work satisfactorily and there is something not right with the horse," said his trainer Michael Jarvis. "We are going to wait and prepare him for the autumn. We will get right whatever is ailing him."
Hala Bek was an unlucky fourth in the blanket finish for the Epsom Derby and his no-show is another blow for the Curragh who had already lost out on the Epsom winner Sir Percy who is also being kept for an autumn campaign.
The result is that Ladbrokes now make Darsi an 11 to 4 favourite for Sunday's feature and if the Aga Khan is prepared to make a €100,000 gamble, the Alain de Royer Durpe colt will attempt to become the first since Montjeu in 1999 to complete the French-Irish Derby double.
Four of the Aga's previous Irish Derby winners - Shergar (1981), Shahrastani (1986), Kahyasi (1988) and Sinndar (2000) - had previously won at Epsom while his 2003 winner, Alamshar, had run third to Kris Kin in the English Derby.
Dragon Dancer's trainer Geoff Wragg has already stated he hopes the ground at the Curragh will not be too quick for his colt who is still waiting for his first success. He will have been heartened by reports from the track where "an aggressive watering campaign" is set to be continued throughout the week before the Derby festival begins on Friday.
"The aim is to start Friday on good ground," said the Curragh manager Paul Hensey yesterday. "We actually started watering the week before last and while the going is good to firm at the moment, it wouldn't take a lot to make it good."
The aim is to put up to 20mms of water on the round course today, and the same amount on Wednesday, with the same routine being carried out on the straight track on Tuesday and Thursday. "We will continue with an aggressive watering campaign," said Hensey. "The forecast is for mainly dry weather up to Wednesday. We are told there is the potential for heavy rain on Thursday and Friday but it's too far ahead for the Met Office to be definite."
Best Name, runner-up to Darsi at Chantilly earlier in the month, is reportedly a definite starter at the Curragh while Aidan O'Brien has indicated that both Dylan Thomas, third at Epsom, and the Gallinule winner, Puerto Rico, are likely runners.
Saturday's Group One feature at the Curragh will be the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes where last year's winner, Alexander Goldrun, may attempt a follow-up. Her trainer Jim Bolger, however, could have the option of running the unbeaten three-year-old Galatee who had to miss the Epsom Oaks after a poor blood count just two days before the race.
Fast ground will be no problem for the Michael Halford-trained Pharviva who has a second start over fences in this evening's Beginners Chase at Kilbeggan.
The former smart hurdler returned from a long break to find only More Rainbows too good at Cork earlier this month and there should be significant improvement for that run.
Pharviva was staying on well at the finish of that race and the step up to three miles and a furlong today should hold no terrors for the nine-year-old who looks to have the course runner-up Rolling Home to beat.
Hurricane Run suffered a shock defeat, and only the second of his career, when narrowly beaten by Pride at Saint-Cloud yesterday.
Running left-handed for the first time, last year's Arc de Triomphe hero was caught in the dying strides by Alain de Royer-Dupre's mare in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
