The giant-framed Monashee Mountain goes into tomorrow's French 2,000 Guineas unbeaten and impressive, but Aidan O'Brien admits he is fearful of the impact the heavy Longchamp turf will have on the colt.
Monashee Mountain faces 10 opponents, including Bachir from Godolphin and the Italian-trained Blu Air Force, the mount of Olivier Peslier. But it's the conditions rather than the opposition that were dominating O'Brien's thoughts yesterday.
"Being a Danzig, there must be a worry about how he will like the soft ground and how it will affect him over a mile," he said. "He has always shown us so much speed and never disappointed us at home that we have to be concerned."
However, O'Brien was also quick to point out that Monashee Mountain's two victories this season over the Curragh's seven furlongs came with significant cut in the ground.
"He has done well. Giant's Causeway will probably come back for the Irish Guineas and we didn't want the two of them to clash, so Monashee Mountain is taking up the French option," he added.
Avoiding a clash between the two colts is understandable, especially since a point of view is developing which considers that maybe the best Ballydoyle miler didn't run at Newmarket at all.
It's worthy of consideration because Monashee Mountain has looked something special this season, beating the 7lb-receiving Jaammal in a listed at the start of the term and then bolting up in the Tetrarch. The form has worked out okay but it's the style that took the eye.
The English raiders, Ekraar and Valentino, as well as Andre Fabre's Slipstream, must be respected but Monashee Mountain, a half brother to a Grade One scorer over 10 furlongs in the US, can prove that conditions cannot deny class.
O'Brien and Michael Kinane can also fancy their chances with Ciro in the Group One Prix Lupin, despite having ground to make up on the Prix Noailles winner, Kutub.
"Ciro has come on a lot for that run and improved, and although he would prefer better ground, we do know he can handle the soft," said O'Brien.
Kinane has come in for the plum spare ride on the Prix Marcel Boussac winner, Lady Of Chad, in the French 1,000 Guineas, but Pat Eddery's ride, Iftiraas, looked very good on the heavy at Newbury and the form was boosted last weekend by Lahan.
Both classic races are being shown live (at 2.15 and 3.25) on BBC 2 tomorrow, but for those who fancy the thrill of live action then there is a choice of a very decent Leopardstown card and the start of Killarney's three-day May festival.
At the Dublin track, Dermot Weld looks the man to follow. The Curragh trainer is equal on 15 winners with Aidan O'Brien in the trainers' table but trails O'Brien by over £42,000 in terms of prize-money won. It would be no surprise to see the deficit made up here, however, with a possible highlight being Muakaad in the Group Three Derrinstown Derby Trial.
This course and distance winner likes fast going and if he gets it he can surprise the 7lb-conceding Sinndar and O'Brien's unbeaten Bach. Both Sinndar and Bach beat Weld horses in their last races and Muakaad runs here instead of the highly touted Media Puzzle.
Jammaal can confirm Cork placings with Bashkir in the Listed Amethyst Stakes, while Zagreb's brother, Sage Dancer, is selected to make a winning debut in the last. In both those races Weld is doubly represented and it's the same in the six-furlong handicap, where Free To Speak tops the weights. Lurking on 7-10, however, is the filly, Dippers, who is napped to justify the Irish trip of the top English lightweight Francis Norton.
Dippers won her second start last year from the subsequent winners, Castanetta and Regal Ash, and looks potentially thrown in here at these ratings.
Another interesting Leopardstown runner is the Moyglare winner, Preseli, who has to concede weight in the 1,000 Trial but looks in a different class to these.
Down south, there will be a few trainers blessing Christy Roche for letting the Shell Champion Hurdle winner, Grimes, take his chance in the £25,000 Murphys Handicap Hurdle.
It leaves six of the remaining seven runners racing from out of the handicap, but although Grimes was a revelation from the front at Punchestown, Killultagh Storm is just 3lb wrong, will thrive on quick ground and was pretty impressive himself at the festival.
The veteran Klairon Davis is rated to win the conditions chase, while Traditional could squeak his four-timer in the Dawn Reid Ladies Handicap.
