RACING:KIRINDA CAN get back on the classic trail at Gowran Park tomorrow where John Oxx's potential Oaks prospect lines up in the Listed feature.
The Victor McCalmont Stakes contains five of the classic generation taking on three older fillies, and the senior runners have won three of the last four renewals of the nine-furlong event.
However, the three-year-olds this time include the Ballysax-winner Banimpire and Kirinda, who is as low as 20 to 1 in some lists for the Epsom Oaks despite finishing only third on her reappearance at Navan a fortnight ago.
Johnny Murtagh’s mount finished two lengths off Siren’s Song that day, but only after she had pulled noticeably hard for much of the first half of the race.
Not surprisingly that caught up with her in the closing stages, but if Kirinda settles better this time she will be tough to beat.
Her stable companion Adilapour didn’t finish too far behind Banimpire in the Ballysax and should improve enough from that to take the Classic Trial, while In Bloom belied 66 to 1 odds behind Mesariya at Leopardstown with a good fourth and can step up to take the nine-furlong maiden.
Davy Russell and Paul Townend, battling it out for the Irish jump jockeys’ championship, can both be on the mark at Sligo tomorrow ahead of next week’s Punchestown festival finale to the season.
Kauto Star has been confirmed an intended starter in Wednesday’s Guinness Gold Cup after impressing in a schooling session at Paul Nicholls’ yard yesterday.
The dual-Gold Cup and four-time King George hero will be running in Ireland for a third time, having twice won the Nicholson Chase at Down Royal.
“Kauto Star is in great order and mad fresh. Daryl Jacob schooled him in preparation for Punchestown,” Nicholls said.
A Punchestown festival preview programme will be shown on TG4 at 8.30pm tonight, and will include interviews with Willie Mullins and Philip Hobbs. It will be repeated on Monday at 8pm ahead of the five-day festival which starts on Tuesday.
