Anxious wait for Rebelline

RACING/Irish News: Kevin Prendergast faces an anxious wait before knowing if he will be able to run Rebelline in Sunday's Prix…

RACING/Irish News: Kevin Prendergast faces an anxious wait before knowing if he will be able to run Rebelline in Sunday's Prix d'Ispahan at Longchamp.

Rebelline has already missed out on one French Group One race this season when coming into season just two days before the Prix Ganay.

Now she looks like doing something similar on the eve of the latest Group One contest, this time over her ideal nine-furlong trip.

"She is due this weekend and we are hoping against hope we will be able to get there. If everything goes right, she is supposed to go to France but we just don't know yet," said Prendergast yesterday.

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The Curragh trainer has sent Rebelline out to win twice at the Curragh this season already and if she misses the French option, then the Tatts Gold Cup in 11 days' time will be an alternative.

Prendergast hasn't given up hope of making the French race, however, and if Rebelline does run, he will be hoping she enjoys better luck than Wrong Key who ran fourth to Zenda in last Sunday's French 1,000 Guineas.

"She was very unfortunate. She was last, over 20 lengths off the leader at one stage, and ended up fourth," he said. "We are now going to supplement her for the Irish 1,000."

Initial reports also suggest that the French Guineas heroine Zenda could also run in the Irish Guineas, along with Queens Logic, and possibly the Godolphin filly Silent Honour.

The main Godolphin runner over the Irish Guineas weekend could be the Arc de Triomphe hero Sakhee who is being considered for the Tatts Gold Cup.

The Irish racing caravan gets back on the road at Gowran today where the horses in the first two races have some famous footsteps to follow.

The French 2,000 Guineas winner Landseer won the season's first seven-furlong maiden for two-year-olds last year, following the American Graded winner Cashel Palace and Bach in 1999.

Aidan O'Brien should again have the winning of it with the Danehill colt Spartacus despite the presence of the eye-catching Tipperary runner-up Addario.

The last two runnings of the nine-furlong maiden have fallen to the American Graded winners Golden Apples and Pine Dance and the Tetrarch third Masani looks good for the win this time.

Mac Han won his maiden over seven furlongs here 10 days ago and can get the better of Leinster Mills in the nine-furlong handicap.

Ruby Walsh looks a significant booking for Afewquid in the handicap hurdle while Adrienne Foley can guide Samapour to victory in the ladies race.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column