Racing News and previewDoyen could start as odds-on favourite for tomorrow's Baileys Irish Champion Stakes after a final field of eight was declared yesterday for the 1 million highlight.
Godolphin are bidding for a remarkable sixth Champion Stakes victory since 1994 and the bookmakers are predicting Doyen could be the first odds-on winner since Giant's Causeway four years ago.
Paddy Power cut the King George winner to even money favourite yesterday but a spokesman reported: "There's a good chance he'll be odds on. There's even been good money for him at evens and there seems to be very little support for the main Irish horses, Grey Swallow and Azamour."
Those two colts are the only three-year-olds among the final eight, after the expected defection of Bago, and only one of the Classic generation has won in the last decade.
The Prince Of Wales winner Rakti features alongside the other Group One winner, Powerscourt, from Aidan O'Brien's yard but the connections of all the horses will be keeping an anxious eye on the skies over Dublin today.
The going is still "good to firm" at Leopardstown and the authorities there will decide this morning if more watering is needed. They watered only once so far this week (on Tuesday).
Leopardstown's racing manager Tom Burke said yesterday that the showery weather forecast in Dublin is expected to hang around into tomorrow morning. "But it's hit and miss stuff, very difficult to predict, so we won't have a clearer picture until the morning," he said.
Tomorrow's other Group One, the Coolmore Matron Stakes, will have its much-anticipated clash between Soviet Song and Attraction with the return of last year's winner, Favourable Terms, and last year's Guineas heroine, Yesterday, thrown in for good measure.
Jamie Spencer will be on duty for Aidan O'Brien at Leopardstown which leaves Darryll Holland in for the ride on Tycoon in tomorrow's Doncaster St Leger.
It will be Holland's first ride for the Ballydoyle team who will also be represented by Mikado (Jimmy Fortune) and Go For Gold (Seb Sanders.) "The call for Tycoon came out of the blue, although Aidan did know Darryll was keen to ride the horse," said Holland's agent.
Dermot Weld will be concentrating on Grey Swallow's Champion Stakes bid, and the first Irish run of the French import Miss Mambo in the Matron, but this evening he will have half an eye on Kilbeggan where Mesmeric looks to have a good chance in the opening maiden hurdle.
The former smart flat handicapper in Britain found Laurel View too good for him at Ballinrobe but looks better than the likes of the 89 rated Euro Flyer. Weld also gives Time To Roam a run in the following novice hurdle but slight preference is for the course winner She's So Dainty.
Ruby Walsh teams up with Martin Brassil in the handicap chase where another course winner The Husheen can come out on top while another Brassil-Walsh runner, Rodybolands, can bounce back to winning form on better ground in the handicap hurdle. Johnjoe's Express unseated on soft ground on his chase debut at Cork but while the going will be very different now, he does run into a chase newcomer, Columba, who is higher rated over hurdles.
BETTING: Paddy Power, Champion: Evs Doyen, 9-2 Rakti and Grey Swallow, 5 Azamour, 12 Powerscourt, 16 Norse Dancer, 50 Imperial Dancer, 100 Millstreet. Paddy Power, Matron: 11-10 Soviet Song, 3 Attraction, 5 Favourable Terms, 12 Yesterday, 14 Majestic Desert, 16 Phantom Wind and Miss Mambo, 20 Bar.
