Fran Berry has two selections for Fairyhouse on Thursday, including a potential handicap snip trained by Aidan O'Brien.
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Fairyhouse stages one of two meetings in Ireland on Thursday but before that, I'll briefly reflect on the big news that Love won't take her place in the field for Sunday's Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
I know people will be disappointed but given how testing the ground is expected to be at ParisLongchamp, I think the decision made by Aidan O'Brien and his team is an understandable one given all of Love's best form is on decent ground.
She was beaten in the Fillies' Mile on Good To Soft last year and the ground was Yielding at the Curragh when she disappointed earlier that campaign, and I think connections have made the right call. It's a shame, but we still have a brilliant race in prospect and one I look forward to previewing on site later in the week.
Closer to home, 19mm of overnight rain has seen the going changed to Soft at Fairyhouse and with the potential of more to come, it doesn't look the easiest card to unravel.
However, I can't pass up the chance to give another chance to Kipling despite him letting this column down when failing to land a significant gamble at the Curragh on the second day of Champion Weekend.
He was backed into 11/4 favouritism that day having previously bolted up in a soft-ground maiden at Naas and he still has the look of a handicap blot to me. It's worth remembering that this is only his second start in handicap company and it is highly likely that he found a big-field handicap at the Curragh something of a culture shock.
He used up plenty of petrol to claim a handy position from a wide draw that day, before backing out of things when the taps were turned on, and I suspect he'll be much happier back in a smaller field. Keats - another trained by O'Brien - won a Listed race at Cork earlier this week and I'm hoping lightning can strike twice here.
As already alluded to, the testing ground won't bother him and he looks a good each-way bet at 13/2, for all likely market leader Layfayette is deserving of maximum respect following his recent Naas success.
I don’t normally like getting involved in claimers, but I can't let Ballyquin go unbacked in the Fairyhouse Racecourse Claiming Race.
The five-year-old has some very smart form in sprint races in England - much of which has come with cut in the ground - and though he has a lengthy absence to overcome, he boasts a good draw in stall six and represents a stable going great guns at present.
He's a very interesting contender against the 100-rated Boitron - another who is returning from a long absence - and at 10/1, warrants an each-way play.
Posted at 1130 BST on 01/10/20
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