James Ryan steps On Location into Listed company in the Alleged Stakes at the Curragh.
The filly, who was successful on debut in a maiden on the Polytrack at Dundalk, sports a first-time hood.
The trainer said: “She did very well in Dundalk considering she was in season. I was expecting her to win if she wasn’t in season. She did everything right and she’ll come on from the run.
“We are running in this as there weren’t many options for her. Her handicap mark hadn’t come through when I made the entry and as she came from America she’s not eligible for EBF races. She has now been given a mark of 87.
“She’s definitely an outsider, but her mother (Film Maker) stayed a mile and a quarter and her sire Street Cry won a Group One. The ground is drying up and good to yielding would be perfect for her.
“She is due to be in season next week and will be covered by Dawn Approach. I will be looking at Listed and Group races for her for the rest of the season.”
Paul Deegan steps Aussie Valentine up in class after the four-year-old ran an excellent race in the Irish Lincolnshire when runner-up to Onenightidreamed, and followed that by landing a handicap in Leopardstown over nine furlongs.
“He’s a big strapping horse and is very progressive. He’s a big, scopey sort of horse. He has had his wind done as it was catching him in Naas (last October). In time he may get further,” said Deegan, who has saddled four winners in the new campaign.
“He’s in very good form and is very easy on himself. He deserves his chance in Listed company and if it doesn’t work then he’ll be a Premier Handicap horse who could run in the Lincoln again next year.
“The horses are healthy. We tend to run out of ammo in the middle of the season as we don’t have a constant stream of maidens. We have 33/34 in at the minute and about a dozen of those are two-year-olds.”
Among the opposition, Aidan O’Brien’s Geoffrey Chaucer, Jim Bolger’s Parish Hall and Dermot Weld’s Massinga feature prominently in the betting.