Racing Curragh preview: Kieren Fallon has had to desert the unbeaten River Belle in tomorrow's Moyglare Stud Stakes but the star English filly still looks a bet to win the Curragh's Group One highlight.
Kevin Darley, a Moyglare winner seven years ago on Bianca Nera, will now ride River Belle in Ireland's most pretigious juvenile fillies race, with Fallon no doubt looking on anxiously at Deauville.
The British champion jockey will ride Aidan O'Brien's Colossus in the Prix Morny in France, a race that O'Brien has won three times in the past five years.
The Ballydoyle trainer also runs the Phoenix Stakes runner-up Old Deuteronomy (Jamie Spencer) and Haydn (Colm O'Donoghue) in the Franch feature and is hopeful of a prominent showing.
"Old Deuteronomy is a very good horse but fast ground is important to him and it has been raining over there. But it does get very warm in Deauville and we will have to see if the course dries out.
"Colussus was beaten by Much Faster in the Papin but he had been off a long time and Michael (Kinane) elected to come up the middle of the track wheras the winner was on the rail. I hope he has come on for that," O'Brien said yesterday.
This time Kinane remains at home to ride Necklace in the Moyglare, a race that O'Brien has won twice with Quarter Moon (2001) and Sequoyah (2000.)
The Darshaan filly was impressive in the Debutante last time when beating Caldy Dancer by a length.
"This filly is bred to get a trip so it is unusual for her to show so much pace. She won nicely the last day but hasn't done a lot since," he said.
However Necklace faces a much more formidable cross-channel raider this time. River Belle, supplemented into the race at a cost of €30,000, is unbeaten in two starts at Ascot including the Princess Margaret Stakes last time.
Despite a slow start, the Alan Jarvis-trained runner powered through to win well and significantly had Caldy Dancer over four lengths behind her.
The Silver Flash winner Maroochydore will be an interesting alternative for some but this could come down to a Necklace-River Belle clash and the value looks to be with the English filly.
Maroochydore's rider Richard Hughes could have better luck on Deportivo in the Group Two Flying Five as the course winner was hardly suited by Chester's unique track on his last start.
If the ground stays on the fast side Hughes could also figure in the €70,000 Cambridgeshire as Dashing Home's first flat start in almost a year yielded a decent fifth to Frosty Wind at Leopardstown a fortnight ago.
Just five line up for the Listed Round Tower Stakes but all are winners and the sponsors can get some of their money back courtesy of the Cork winner Simple Exchange.
The runner-up Anchor hasn't boosted the form since but the latest O'Brien rival Troubador was helped on his own debut by the well fancied favourite pulling extravagantly.
Aidan O'Brien will have a new training neighbour near Cashel as the former champion trainer of the UAE, Dhruba Selvaratnam, is set to start operations in the next couple of months.
Selvaratnam, born in Pakistan, but who took out Irish nationality when assistant to Vincent O'Brien in the 1980's, will start training in Ireland having bought Railstown Stables in Rosegreen.
