Michael Kinane will be clocking up the air miles over the weekend as the champion jockey is set to ride Apollo Victoria in tomorrow's Lingfield Derby Trial and then jet to France on Sunday for three Group One rides at Longchamp.
The indications are that Monashee Mountain will take his chance in the French 2,000 Guineas, although Aidan O'Brien couldn't definitely confirm the unbeaten colt a runner yesterday. A penetrometer reading of 3.9 at Longchamp yesterday indicates substantial give in the ground but that may not rule Monashee Mountain out, as O'Brien said yesterday: 'It was 5.6 when Aristotle ran over there and that's very soft. 3.9 isn't too bad. Monashee Mountain looks a possible but if he doesn't run, then Royal Kingdom will.'
Kinane will be on Ciro in the Prix Lupin, and the form of that colt's third to Kutub in the Prix Noailles last month got a boost during the week with the subsequent Group victory of the runner-up Lord Flasheart.
Soft ground looks like denying Warrior Queen a classic turn in the French 1,000 Guineas and Kinane has been booked to partner the unbeaten French-trained filly, Lady Of Chad, in the race .
A French Group one pot could yet be in the sights of Chiang Mai, who could miss Leopardstown in preference for the Prix St Alary on Sunday week.
'She's been working lovely and the 10 furlongs of the French race should suit her,' said O'Brien. Sunday's home meeting may see the Cork winner, Paper Moon, substituting for Chiang Mai in the 1,000 Guineas Trial. The Ballydoyle trainer has no runner at Dundalk this evening but another O'Brien looks to provide the bet of the meeting.
Curragh-based Charles O'Brien sends the Fairy King colt, Montecastillo, north to try and break his duck in the mile maiden and even the apparent best of Dermot Weld's trio of runners, Copper Express, may be hard pushed to deal with him.
Montecastillo is from a speed family and evidently showed enough at home to make him favourite for a maiden at Tipperary last October. The ground was dreadful, however, and he faded to sixth behind Bells Are Ringing but he clearly has ability and better ground will help him show it.
Colm O'Donoghue takes a valuable 5lb off Cheeky Harry's back in the 0-50 handicap, in effect seeing the horse race off a mark of 20. For a winner - admittedly at Tramore last year - that looks tempting and Cheeky Harry is preferred to Celtic Slip and Butterfly Morning.
Golden Spice disappointed when favourite at Cork last time but is taken to atone in the mile handicap under Pat Smullen.
The Irish Horseracing Authority yesterday announced the abolition of stakeholders fees on all Group races, with effect from August 1st. Currently the fees are deducted at a rate of up to 5 pr cent from Group race prizemoney.
