Look down the Irish 2,000 Guineas roll of honour and you see some of racing's great names. Whether Giant's Causeway will ever be regarded in the same way in the future is debatable but against seven opponents today he does look good enough to join the winners list.
That list includes the likes Spinning World (1996), Sadler's Wells (1984), Grundy (1975) and Santa Claus (1964). All of those went on to better things but this really does look like being the day of days for Aidan O'Brien's horse.
Unbeaten at two where he achieved a 120 rating, Giant's Causeway ran to more or less that mark when runner up to King's Best in the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas, and although that race showed the colt to be vulnerable to an opponent with a real turn of foot, Giant's Causeway has been kept to a mile for this.
A similar performance to Newmarket from Giant's Causeway should be good enough to win. For one thing, he is likely to get more cover in the race this time and another is that it's hard to see where the horse with a good enough turn of foot to beat him is going to come from.
Barathea Guest has a length and a half to make up from Newmarket and his trainer has been making positive noises about the effect of the rain softened ground. But it's hardly as if Giant's Causeway is unproven on a soft surface.
Then there's Godolphin's French Guineas winner Bachir, an admirably tough and consistent colt who may just have won a below par classic, but who on UAE Derby form is miles clear of his stable mate Glad Master.
Cape Town's trainer has said the colt is running for place money while Scarteen Fox has a lot of ground to make up on Giant's Causeway from Newmarket. Legal Jousting should run OK without winning while Gregorian is outclassed. Giant's Causeway is therefore the logical pick to give O'Brien a third Irish Guineas in four years.
The two other black type races on the card can also go to Ballydoyle. The three-year-old Rossini has a tough task in the Weatherbys Greenlands Stakes but even his Newmarket fourth now reads pretty well and he will be going some to pull over this shorter trip. The Mr Prospector colt Pyrus can make a winning debut in the Marble Hill.
The nap however goes to Dippers who is drawn high in the seven furlong handicap but who should improve significantly for her seasonal debut at Leopardstown.
