After the Saturday meeting at Navan 10 days ago had been rained off, the executive applied for this substitute, this being then the earliest blank date in the calendar. When they learned of the pathetic support accorded the two £10,000 events - three runners in one and two in the other - they must have wished that they had not bothered.
The only bright spark is the second racecourse appearance of the Aga Khan's Ezbek, who has claims to be rated the best bred three-year-old in the country. He is the fourth foal of Ebaziya, who has already achieved the astonishing feat of producing three individual Group One winners, Ebaziya, Edabaiya and Enzeli, to three different sires.
Ezbek did not show enough on the occasion of Curragh debut to arouse hopes that he might follow in their footsteps but his fast-finishing third to Media Puzzle at the Curragh should ensure maiden race success this evening.
John Oxx should also take the Kilbride Maiden with Gaudi, who now races in the colours of one of the most successful of the Irish syndicates, that connected with the Dundalk Racing Club.
Dermot Weld will be fancying his double chances in the two feature races, with Murawwi beating John Oxx's pair in the Tara Sires EBF Race and Catherina coping with her younger opponent in the match for the Dunsany Race.
Willyever, whose trainer Frederick Bowles has been commenting on the current problem of getting stable staff, is napped to profit from the drop in distance in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Handicap. He weakened when beaten two and a half lengths by Kiptanui over a mile at Listowel.
