Festivals often throw up their share of dual winners and Perugino Diamond is selected to win his second race of the week in today's feature, the £18,000 Harp Handicap over 10 furlongs.
The Frances Crowley trained three-year-old confirmed his position as the current leader in the juvenile hurdler rankings with an easy five and a half length defeat of Dangerousdanmagru here on Monday.
That only confirmed the blip factor surrounding Perugino Diamond's expensive fall at Tralee and also confirmed the jumping promise he showed on his debut at Roscommon.
It's fair to assume that Perugino Diamond is on the improve and considering two smart wins on the flat earlier in the summer, an apprentice contest at Gowran and a 0-60 at Sligo, that gives him a very solid rating here despite the testing ground.
Last year's winner Lawz represents the white hot Pat Hughes stable but he disappointed behind Chanoud at Galway and is not certain to confirm earlier Cork form with Moving On Up on 3lbs worse terms.
Very soft conditions can only be in That's Logic's favour but they were the same when he was only sixth to Trans Island at Leopardstown. Another Frances Crowley horse is saddled with the nap however in the first division of the maiden hurdle. Lodge Hill has been up against it in his two races since winning at Killarney, facing Kilcash Castle at Galway and then ruining his chance at Tralee when making a howling error at the first flight.
In the circumstances, Lodge Hill did well to finish fourth to Kings Tipp and presuming there are no such jumping dramatics today, Lodge Hill is selected to beat the Galway runner up Catalpa Cargo.
Keelson won a particularly poor 0-102 two mile chase here on Wednesday but he couldn't have beaten Gaultier Gale any easier and he does seem to be particularly suited to very soft conditions. Go Roger Go is impossible to oppose in the opener and Supreme Certainty may be best of a poor lot half-an-hour later.
Royal Kingdom will be the sole Aidan O'Brien trained runner at Ascot this weekend when he contests Sunday's Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes.
O'Brien had been considering tomorrow's fillies mile for Amethyst but she is unlikely to run due to the soft ground and will instead wait for the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp.
O'Brien reported yesterday that he is considering running both Warrior Queen and Inkling in next week's Group One Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Dermot Weld sends Mus-If to Cologne for a Group Two event and Social Harmony goes in the Scoop 6 Handicap at Ascot tomorrow.
