Racing: The Grey Swallow team of Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen will return from Newbury's King George in time for this evening's featured Meld Stakes at Leopardstown but Weld will also be keeping an eye on Arlington Park in Chicago tonight.
Merger will attempt to give the Curragh trainer a third success in the Grade Two American Derby and is one of eight horses scheduled to line up for the $250,000 race. Rene Douglas will partner Merger who was third in the Celebration Stakes at the Curragh on Derby day on his last start.
Weld's previous American Derby winners were Pine Dance (2000) and Simple Exchange last year. Merger's big rival looks like being the Arlington Classic winner Puirm who is unbeaten in three starts on turf.
On the home front Weld saddles Cairdeas, who races in the colours of the President, in the Group Three Meld Stakes. Just four line up but they include last year's winner Latino Magic, the course Listed winner Lord Admiral and the sole filly Tropical Lady.
A defeat of Yeats by Cairdeas earlier in the season now reads pretty well, but the Weld runner was very disappointing at Chantilly on his last start and is unlikely to be suited by the forecast "good to firm" ground.
If conditions are quick then Tropical Lady could be a bet as a third to Caradak at the Curragh last weekend indicates she has the tactical speed to cover these.
Weld and Smullen will also have a big interest in the Sweet Mimosa Stakes with Alexander Icequeen.
This one was beaten two necks by Miss Sally in a Group Three here and is now 6lb better off with the Halford filly. Miss Sally was value for more than the bare form, and the drop back to six furlongs will suit her more than Alexander Icequeen, but that 6lb will be a big factor.
Leopardstown's other Listed contest is the Tyros Stakes for juveniles which looks a good target for Marcus Andronicus. Aidan O'Brien's Danehill colt has run twice at York and looked a type to improve from a fifth to Red Clubs in the Coventry last month.
Kevin Manning and Jim Bolger could enjoy a good evening as Irish Question may be up to winning the seven-furlong handicap and the Halling filly Good Surprise is interesting in the 10-furlong handicap.
Good Surprise is bred to go on a quick surface, but didn't get much of that in France where she won twice last year, at Maisons Laffitte and St Cloud, for Carlos Lerner. Her sole start in this country was a promising run behind Common World at Roscommon and on this ground she looks capable of stepping up.
Habeas Corpus has run into two very promising colts on both his starts to date, but there doesn't appear to be anything of the standard of Heliostatic or Horatio Nelson in today's auction maiden. Last weekend at the Curragh, Habeas Corpus was also squeezed for room at a vital stage and is worthy of serious interest in this company.
Wexford tomorrow sees Tuesday's Ballinrobe winner Tarn Ridge with topweight in the Opportunity Chase, but maybe a value option against the Nolan runner could be Mister Euro who put in a decent run behind Penny Hall at Fairyhouse.
The form of Lycaena's defeat of Irish Blade at Sligo has been boosted since and the seven-year-old is worth watching in the second handicap hurdle while Storm Over looks the one in the Beginners Chase.
