It may be a bright new dawn for Limestone Lad - the latest in the line of so called people's champions - when he tackles fences for the first time at Cork tomorrow but it should be very much a case of as you were at the Curragh.
The prestige contest is the Group Three Juddmonte Beresford Stakes where Aidan O'Brien saddles two of the six-strong field including the likely hotpot Turnberry Isle.
This Deputy Minister colt went down by half a length to Atlantis Prince (recently purchased by Godolphin) in the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot and did well to get that close considering the winner had poached a decisive lead early in the straight.
Ranged against him for tomorrow's mile contest are Turnberry Isle's stable mate Sligo Bay, who ran third in a weakish race at Longchamp last time, and Vinnie Roe, owned by the film director Jim Sheridan, who won his sole start at Leopardstown in the summer. But Turnberry Isle's overall form looks much too good.
The Ballydoyle camp unveil the impeccably bred Kylemore in the opener and look to have found an ideal opportunity for Rostropovich, third to Epitre in France last time, in the last. But the nap goes to Maumee in the seven furlong maiden.
Dermot Weld's Indian Ridge colt was slightly hampered in the closing stages of his debut behind Northern Rock and has a length to make up on Leopard Spot from that running. The latter doesn't look the most dependable operator, however, while Maumee has the look of a colt whose improvement may only be beginning.
Weld and the champion jockey elect Pat Smullen can also pick up the Listed race with Final Exam who hasn't run since the spring but Smullen's presence on the three-year-old instead of Tiger Royal looks significant. Unlike some of the others the six furlong trip should be ideal too.
Down south the richest pot of the day will be the £25,000 Pierse Munster National which could yet end up as the big chasing pot that Super Franky has threatened to pick up all summer.
The Galway Plate, Tralee and the Kerry National have proved fruitless for various reasons but the remarkably tough Super Franky won very well on the track on his last start and can get his nose in front again ahead of the Kerry National runner up River Cora.
Most attention, however, will centre on Limestone Lad who reportedly thrilled his new rider Barry Cash when recently schooling over six fences at the Curragh. "He was brilliant," summed up trainer Michael Bowe. The horse's class should take care of the rest.
The reigning champion jump jockey Barry Geraghty has a useful looking bunch of rides and maybe Toolong and Land Of Time can confirm they are very good indeed.
