Racing: George Washington appears to be still on course for Saturday's Boylesports Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh despite the current spell of dire weather that continues to play havoc with racing's fixture list.
Tomorrow's re-scheduled card at Cork is just the latest meeting to be cancelled in the last week but the Curragh executive stressed yesterday that only a repeat of the weekend's monsoon-like conditions will put the Guineas festival under threat.
"Unless we get a repeat of Sunday's weather, when we got an inch and a half of rain in 10 hours, then there shouldn't be any fears," the track manager Paul Hensey said yesterday.
"The straight course is heavy at the moment and the forecast is for broken weather. I'm hopeful of an improvement in ground conditions."
That will be good news for Aidan O'Brien who had nine of the 19 entries left in the Guineas at yesterday's forfeit stage as he goes in search of another Guineas hat-trick to match that of 2002.
Rock Of Gibraltar's Newmarket-Curragh double added to Landseer's French Guineas success of that year and significantly, this month's Longchamp hero Aussie Rules is still in the reckoning as part of the potential Ballydoyle team for the opening Irish classic of 2006.
"Obviously Aussie Rules is a possible for the French Derby but we want to see what the weather does later in the week before deciding anything for definite. I wouldn't have made the entries if they weren't all possibles," O'Brien said yesterday.
George Washington's brilliant six race career to date has been conducted on much better ground than is likely to be on offer at the weekend. The softest surface he has run on was the officially "yielding" surface he won his maiden on at the Curragh 12 months ago.
But he remains on course to become just the fifth colt to complete the English-Irish 2,000 Guineas double.
"The plan has always been to run George Washington and at the moment the plan is the same," O'Brien confirmed. "Very heavy ground is to no horse's advantage but it's so far, so good with him. We will see what the week brings."
The big race sponsors reckon George Washington will start the shortest priced 2,000 Guineas favourite in modern times and make the Danehill colt a 2 to 7 favourite to land the fourth Group One race of his career.
Kevin Prendergast's Decado is the 4 to 1 next best while the French Guineas runner-up Marcus Andronicus, who is also entered in the Group Three Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes on the same card, is a 6 to 1 shot.
"I'm not sure where Marcus Andronicus will go yet," admitted O'Brien yesterday.
Boylesports don't quote Aussie Rules in their ante-post betting and their spokesman Paul Magee said: "We think he is in there in case the big fellah doesn't run. And if for some reason George Washington didn't run, Aussie Rules would be a hot favourite anyway."
Decado is also on course to try and follow up his Loughbrown win at the track last month and provide Kevin Prendergast with just the second Irish Guineas of his career following Northern Treasure 30 years ago.
Just three British-trained entries remain in the race and the Curragh authorities are confident the Mick Channon-trained Yasoodd will travel to Ireland for the second time this year. He won the Guineas trial at Leopardstown last month before disappointing in the French Guineas.
Jeremy Noseda's Araafa, fourth to George Washington at Newmarket, is another British trained possible.
If Marcus Andronicus takes the sprint route this weekend he could end up facing some seasoned older speedsters including last year's Greenlands winner Moon Unit.
A total of 15 horses remain in that race while only 10 entries are left in the Group Two Ridgewood Pearl Stakes. They include the top-level winners Alexander Goldrun and Luas Line who scored a Grade One triumph in the US last year.
John Oxx has left Caribbean in the Guineas, the one Irish classic he has yet to land, and also plans to run the Mooresbridge winner Alayan in Sunday's Tattersalls Gold Cup.
"He has been in very good form since his last race but it looks a very hot race on Sunday. If he gets in the first four we will be delighted," said Pat Downes, racing manager to the Aga Khan, said yesterday.
Boylesports. 2,000 Guineas betting: 2-7 George Washington, 3 Decado, 6 Marcus Andronicus, 12 Araafa, 16 Yasoodd, 20 River Tiber, Heliostatic, 25 Ivan Denisovich & Golden Arrow, 33 Bar.