Tomorrow's Entenmann's Irish 1,000 Guineas looks such an open contest that the punter may just have to Imagine the winner.
Since just two favourites have won the fillies' classic in the last 11 years, it is hardly surprising it's an open race, but the difficulty of this Guineas is summed up by their being 4 to 1 joint-favourites in the 16-runner field.
Toroca and Crystal Music, third and fourth respectively in the Newmarket version, shared favouritism with Paddy Power yesterday, but Aidan O'Brien's decision to run four other fillies in addition to Toroca hardly shouts stable confidence in her chance.
One obvious worry with Toroca is stamina over this stiffer mile, a concern that doesn't apply to her Moyglare-winning stable companion Sequoyah. Instead, the problem with her is the lack of a race this season, so with two runs under her belt already and an attractive 16 to 1 price around her neck, Imagine looks the Guineas value pick.
O'Brien won this race four years ago with an outsider, the 20 to 1 Classic Park beating the much better backed Strawberry Roan by a length, and he also picked up the 2,000 Guineas in 1999 with Saffron Walden, who started an apparent 16 to 1 no-hoper.
Throw in Seamus Heffernan's National Stakes win last year on Beckett and it is clear the Ballydoyle ranking system is not infallible. Heffernan is on board Imagine, who is certainly bred to win a classic being a half-sister to Generous.
Imagine may relish a slightly longer trip than a mile, but she ran third to Cool Clarity and the subsequent French 1,000 Guineas winner, Rose Gypsy, in a strong Athasi Stakes, after which Dermot Weld described the Irish classic fillies as a strong crop this year.
Weld can be proved right, but his confidence in Cool Clarity could be shaken by Imagine, who is 8lb better off on Athasi form and is a filly for whom there was some significant antepost Epsom Oaks support yesterday.
Frankie Dettori and Kieren Fallon may be out of luck in the classic, but they should dominate the finish of the Tattersalls Gold Cup on two of world racing's best known performers.
Kalanisi was far from discouraged after tackling Giant's Causeway in the Eclipse and at York and wound up 2,000 with victory in the Champion Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Turf.
The recent positive reports from the Godolphin indicate their own world champ, Fantastic Light, is up for this race too. Dettori's mount may just a little further to be at his best, and has the King George as his big midsummer target, but Fantastic Light is such a tough and adaptable horse, he could just have the edge on Kalanisi tomorrow.
The other black type event is the listed Silver Stakes, where the Derrinstown third El Bueno should be up to giving Galileo a pre-Derby boost and the stepping-into-form Michael Grassick yard can pick up the mile handicap with Irish Empire.
