Musketeer and Chaparral Lady, two horses that could be said to have been less than fortunate at Galway, can gain quick compensation at Fairyhouse this evening and in the process help Aidan O'Brien to a treble of winners.
Chaparral Lady had the misfortune of being the one to chase home the gambled-on Magic Combination at the western festival on Thursday, a thankless task considering the winner was subsequently hiked up by 20lbs in the ratings.
There do not appear to be any such blips lurking in the qualified riders handicap today and with the ground and the trip seemingly suitable, Chaparral Lady and PJ Colville can confirm form with Support Act.
Musketeer's problems were more straightforward at Galway as he couldn't secure a clear run in the straight in the race won by Royal Barathea. Twice, the colt was denied a passage yet he ran on to some effect and was beaten by the minimum margin.
If he is in the same form again, and granted reasonable luck in running, it is hard to see Marching Orders or Notional having the weaponry to trouble him in the apprentice maiden.
The first winner for Ballydoyle looks likely to be the two-year-old Brahms in the opener. The Danzig colt was 1 to 4 to make a winning debut at Leopardstown but was shocked by the Eddie Lynam-trained Miss Bidder.
Brahms may not be in the top flight of the O'Brien juveniles but he should improve significantly for the Leopardstown experience and get the better of Dippers who ran Somerset to a length and a half on her debut at the Curragh.
Musketeer's rider Paul Scallan has been snapped up by Jim Bolger for Remarkable Style in the six-furlong handicap and his 5lb claim could be decisive.
There was only a short head between Remarkable Style and Beckon the King at Leopardstown recently and they meet on the same terms here. However Remarkable Style won despite Kevin Manning dropping his whip inside the final furlong, may like the fast ground more, and has Scallan's claim thrown in too.
Another rider who can score a double is Pat Smullen, who looks to have good claims with the Down Royal winner Goldstreet in the Tatts Race, and with the Galway flop Zankle in the mile handicap.
Tonight's other meeting is at Sligo where the first appearance of Poco A Poco in the Goffs Race could be of considerable interest. Taken out of the Listed race won by Buffalo Berry at Cork on Monday, Poco A Poco is reputed to be decent and could surprise Clewbay Charm, third to Pissaro on his own debut.
Saintly Thoughts ran a nice race behind the smart Abaco at Killarney and can continue Pat Hughes's purple patch in the opening maiden hurdle, while Senora could reverse Down Royal form with La Tache in the amateur maiden.
Due to drainage work, the starting stalls for the six-furlong and seven-furlong races at Fairyhouse tonight will be located on the running rail as opposed to their normal chute.
Leopardstown's meeting on August 22nd has been titled "the Dubs' day out" with tickets on sale at Dublin GAA clubs for a fixture that is intended to support the development of Gaelic Games in Dublin.
