Michael Kinane will ride Orpen in Saturday's Entenmann's Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Aidan O'Brien has five of the 11 horses left in the first classic of the season, including Saffron Waldon, but Kinane will stick by Orpen who flopped at Newmarket.

"I expect it will be Orpen in the 2,000 Guineas but what I ride in the 1,000 Guineas depends on different things including the ground," said Kinane yesterday.

O'Brien gave Orpen a vote of confidence when he said yesterday: "His run at Newmarket was just too bad to be true and with the work he has done since it would be hard for Mick to discard him."

O'Brien reported that High King will be his runner in Sunday's Silver Stakes.