Newsletter © Photo Healy Racing
Trainer Ken Condon believes a drop to the minimum distance will help Newsletter get her season back on track in the Irish Field Curragh Stakes today.
The Sir Percy filly made a winning start to her career over course and distance in April and although she failed to fire on her next appearance at Naas, she ran a fine race in defeat when third in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.
Newsletter subsequently finished last of five runners in the Anglesey Stakes back on home soil, but Condon expects better in this Listed affair.
He said: "We're happy with her. Everything has gone well the last week or so and she's getting stronger all the time.
"The ground was quite firm the last day. They didn't water during the week as they were expecting rain and the rain didn't come. She handled the quick ground at Ascot well, but it was even quicker at the Curragh and I think the combination of that and the six furlongs probably found her out.
"We're happier going back to five furlongs with her. She has plenty of speed and ran very well in the Queen Mary over five. If she can come back to that form, it would give her a great chance."
The John Murphy-trained Avenue Montaigne remains a maiden after three starts, but showed she is up to this level when finishing a close third behind Accepted in the Tipperary Stakes last month.
"She's in good shape and we think she's improved a lot since her last run," said Murphy.
"We really want to run her over six furlongs before going seven, but this looked a good opportunity so we're letting her take her chance over five. She really wants fast ground, so it might be a bit dead for her."
The seven-runner contest is dominated by fillies and the only colt declared is Aidan O'Brien's The Great War who was withdrawn from the Gimcrack at York on the same afternoon because of the ground. Ainippe was an impressive winner on her Naas debut and is a major contender for trainer Ger Lyons and leading owners Qatar Racing, while A rriana, Marsali and the O'Brien-trained Simply A Star complete the line-up.
