Some of Ireland's best are gearing up for Ascot's Group One festival this weekend but Dermot Weld has decided to skip Saturday's Meon Valley Stud Fillies Mile with Mad About You and the star juvenile will instead wait for the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp the following weekend.

Mad About You was an unlucky-in-running third behind Saoirse Abu and Listen in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh earlier in the month but she will miss out on a chance for revenge on those two fillies who both look like starting at Ascot.

"It's looking pretty certain that we will wait for the Boussac with her. She's very well in herself but this way she will get a little more time which will be a help," Weld said yesterday.

That will leave the dual Group One winner Saoirse Abu the Irish standard bearer at Ascot as Jim Bolger's Moyglare and Phoenix Stakes winner steps up to a mile for the first time.

"A step up in trip should suit. A mile is what she wants," Bolger said.

However, as well as Listen, Saoirse Abu will have to cope with the current 1,000 Guineas ante-post favourite Proviso who will make the trip to Ascot from Andre Fabre's Chantilly yard.

"She won over seven furlongs at Deauville and I don't see any reason why the mile will be a problem. Good ground should be fine for her," said a spokesman for Proviso's owner Khaled Abdullah whose other good juvenile Sense Of Joy is more likely to take Mad About You's route to the Boussac.

Aidan O'Brien has four options to choose from in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and George Washington remains favourite to try to retain his QEII crown ahead of Darjina and Ramonti who both finished ahead of him in Longchamp's Prix Du Moulin.

Arch Rebel and the Aidan O'Brien pair of Acapulco and Honolulu remain possibles for the Group Three Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot on Sunday but the home feature that day will be the Group Two Juddmonte Beresford Stakes at the Curragh.

A total of 22 entries, including eight from O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable, remain in the mile juvenile event that fell to the champion trainer last year with the Derby runner-up Eagle Mountain.

O'Brien's options this time include both Lizard Island and Lucifer Sam, as well as the Epsom Derby gamble William Hogarth who managed only sixth on his course debut a couple of weeks ago.

Likely opposition to the O'Brien team includes Lisvale who ran fourth in the Goffs Million on his last start as well as the highly-rated Mick Channon juvenile Hatta Fort.

The David Myserscough-trained Bruges, who was recently purchased by Sheikh Hamdan, also has the Beresford option.

Dermot Weld confirmed yesterday that Domestic Fund and Unwritten Rule could both run in the Beresford and the Goffs Fillies Million third Caribbean Sunset or Maryellen's Spirit may take their chance in the race named after his father, the CL Weld Park Stakes.

The ground at headquarters is currently yielding.

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) yesterday proposed an arbitration route to try to resolve the dispute between Dundalk racecourse and the Irish National Bookmakers Association which is set to result in a protest at tomorrow night's first floodlit meeting at the new track.

An argument over the allocation of pitches resulted in a limited number of bookmakers at the first meeting at the new Dundalk track earlier in the month.

Yesterday a HRI statement said that racing's ruling body was disappointed that no resolution has been found and proposed arbitration by an independent third body to be appointed by them.

"It would include all aspects of the current dispute and the arbitrator's decision would be binding on both parties," they said.

"In the interim, arrangements will be determined by the HRI betting division in consultation with both parties."

There will be a lot of sentiment behind the hardy veteran Half Barrel when he teams up with Ruby Walsh in the handicap chase at Downpatrick this afternoon but Makemtakeitisn't likely to be influenced by that.

Eric McNamara's horse is on a hat-trick after wins at Kilbeggan and Tralee and looks like he will be a tough nut to crack for the 15-year-old Half Barrel.

Walsh should have better luck in the handicap hurdle on board Charminamixwho was a non-runner at Ballinrobe on Monday and looks to be on a very attractive rating for a task like today's.

The faster the ground the better for Dbestand if the current forecast of good to firm holds true, then Joanna Morgan's Galway hurdles winner looks the one to be on in the mile and a half apprentice handicap.