Aidan O’Brien is targeting in strength what could be a record-breaking 15th Juddmonte Beresford Stakes success at the Curragh on Sunday.

The Group Two prize has a roll of honour that includes iconic names in international racing history, such as Sea The Stars and Nijinsky, and it is the trainer of the latter, the legendary Vincent O’Brien, whose remarkable 14 wins in the €120,000 feature could be eclipsed by his Ballydoyle successor.

Only a staggering 14 victories accumulated by the current Master of Ballydoyle in the Phoenix Stakes currently matches the Beresford as O’Brien’s most lucrative major pattern-race during the 21 years since Dancing Sunset was a first Group success in the 1994 Royal Whip.

He has 11 options to choose from for this weekend’s domestic feature among the 17 left in at the five-day stage, including Deauville, who also has the option of Saturday’s Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket.

Redeem a reputation

Landofhopeandglory, 25-1 for the Derby in some lists on the back of a winning debut at Galway almost two months ago, is due to line up in today’s Premier Nursery at Naas but Shogun could bid to redeem a reputation tarnished by a Futurity defeat on soft ground.

Conditions at HQ were “yielding” on the round course yesterday after almost an inch of overnight rain. “Shogun is a possible runner if the ground is nice and we’d love to run him,” said O’Brien.

“Beacon Rock, who won his maiden at the Curragh last month, and Deauville are also the most likely to run at the moment but we’ll take another look at it later in the week.

“I’d imagine we’ll probably run a few in the race.”

Dermot Weld has left in True Solitaire, runner-up to Johannes Vermeer in the Group Three Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown, a race in which Sanus Per Aquam was third. Jim Bolger's colt lines up in Newmarket's Somerville Tattersalls Stakes on Thursday.

Zalfana is Weld’s sole entry among the 14 left in the Curragh Group Three he sponsors, Sunday’s CL & MF Weld Park Stakes.

The highly rated pair of Anamba and Coolmore could renew rivalry from ‘Champions Weekend’ in the Park which sees a handful of Bolger entries, including another horse scheduled to run in today’s Nursery, Glamorous Approach.

Zalfana’s credentials will be tested when Ceol An Ghra, who finished runner up to the Weld runner at the Curragh, tries to make it third time lucky in today’s juvenile fillies maiden at Naas.

Ballydoyle have three in this and another trio in the colt’s maiden, with Joseph O’Brien on the War Front newcomer, Schubert.

Another chance

Blue De Vega was heavily backed on his Dundalk debut but blew the start and ultimately wound up third to General Macarthur. The runner-up, A Likely Story, hardly franked the form at Navan on Monday but the O’Callaghan runner may be worth another chance.

It will be intriguing to see Landofhopeandglory run off a mark of 90 in the transferred €40,000 Nursery and with Donnacha O’Brien taking 5lb off his back, the hugely promising son of High Chaparral could prove hard to beat.

In other news, the Aga Khan’s Group Three Give Thanks Stakes winner Zannda is set to line up next in the Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp on Arc weekend. The owner has won the Group Two prize on seven previous occasions, including with John Oxx’s Mouramara, the last Irish-trained winner in 2000.

The Aga Khan's Irish spokesman, Pat Downes, also indicated Eshera, winner of the Platinum Stakes at Cork last month, is likely to line up next in next month's Grant Stakes at Naas.