Once again, trainer Aidan O'Brien will carry the brunt of home hopes in Saturday's Entenmanns Irish 2,000 Guineas as Minardi has been installed a 7 to 4 joint favourite for the first classic of the season.
O'Brien's two Guineas victories with Desert King (1997) and Saffron Walden (1999) have been the only Irish successes in the race in the last 12 years and the Ballydoyle trainer has five of the 13 colts left in this season's renewal.
Tamburlaine, runner-up to Golan at Newmarket, has been made the other joint favourite with Cashmans, but Paddy Power make Richard Hughes' mount their 13 to 8 favourite to confirm Newmarket form with Minardi who finished fourth.
"Minardi will probably be ridden by Michael (Kinane) and we will probably run more than one in the race. It has always been the plan to run Freud but while Beckett is fairly near to a run, I'm not sure if he will take part," O'Brien said yesterday. Black Minnaloushe and Mozart are O'Brien's other two entries but the race will come too quickly for Hemingway who will be kept for Royal Ascot.
Godolphin's decision not to supplement West Order means there are just two other cross-channel entries besides Tamburlaine. Barry Hills has Amicable in the race and Ben Hanbury confirmed his Newmarket winner Mugharreb, a son of the top class Marling, a runner.
"He is in very good form and Richard Hills will ride. It's a big step up in class but he is in very good form and that is the main thing," Hanbury said.
Sheikh Mohammed forked out the £28,000 supplementary fee to get the John Oxx-trained Scarlet Velvet into Sunday's 1,000 Guineas but Crystal Music, one of four cross-channel fillies left in the race, has been made the 3 to 1 favourite with Cashmans.
Toroca finished one place ahead of the John Gosden-trained filly at Newmarket but is a 9 to 2 shot while Michael Stoute's Karasta is next best despite a poor effort at Newmarket.
"I had a few fillies at the time of the Guineas that just didn't fire but she is in good form now," said Stoute yesterday. Just eight horses are left in the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup on Sunday, including the Breeders' Cup winner Kalanisi, Godolphin's Fantastic Light and the Prix Ganay winner Golden Snake from John Dunlop's yard.
The ground at the Curragh is currently described as "good to firm" and watering of the straight course could take place today according to the track manager Jason Morris. There is some black type action at Leopardstown this evening with the Listed Saval Beg Stakes featuring a re-match between Media Puzzle and Ancelin from the Curragh last month.
Despite Ancelin having won over an extreme distance previously, Media Puzzle was allowed dominate from the front at the Curragh and Pat Smullen took full advantage to win the race comfortably. It might not be as comfortable tonight, and there is also the 112-rated Chimes At Midnight to contend with, but the Weld runner can confirm the form.
