RACING: The indications are that Michael Kinane will ride Tomahawk from the Aidan O'Brien quartet in tomorrow's Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.
The Ballydoyle team have four of the 11 runners in the Group One race that has fallen to O'Brien for the last two years, courtesy of Minardi and Johannesburg.
O'Brien said yesterday: "We have Kevin Darley, Johnny Murtagh and Jamie Spencer lined up but although it's not for certain yet, Mick will probably be on Tomahwak."
The other four Ballydoyle contenders are Irrawaddy, Ontario and Miguel Cervantes who ran fourth to another Middle Park contender, Zafeen, in the Mill Reef Stakes 12 days ago.
Tomahwak hasn't run since the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot when he started a 1 to 2 favourite and ended up beaten a short head by Helm Bank. Before that, the Seattle Slew colt won on his debut at the Curragh.
Castle Gandolfo had figured among the entries at the early stage for Sunday's Concorde Stakes at Tipperary but a Coolmore spokesman confirmed yesterday that the colt has been sold to continue his career in California.
Castle Gandolfo won the Beresford Stakes last season and contested the Kentucky Derby along with Johannesburg. His last Irish start was a third to Umistim in a Listed race at the Curragh last month.
Aidan O'Brien also said yesterday that if High Chaparral is to be joined by a stable companion in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, it is likely to be Black Sam Bellamy. O'Brien has five of the 24 entries left in the race.
Davenport Milenium, favourite in some books for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, could make his first start of the season at Tipperary on Sunday in the John James McManus Memorial Hurdle.
Willie Mullins described the horse as a "likely" runner in the race that kick-started Istabraq's Champion Hurdle campaigns in 1997 and 1999.
The Jonjo O'Neill-trained Intersky Falcon is also a probable English challenger for the race with Liam Cooper aboard.
Kinane is at Newmarket today for the Group Three ride on Marino Marini in the Somerville Tattersalls Stakes, leaving John Murtagh to possibly dominate today's home fixture at Navan.
A treble at Fairyhouse on Sunday brought Murtagh level with Kinane on 61 winners each in the race for the jockeys' championship. Pat Smullen trails just behind on 58.
Murtagh could go close in the sprint handicap now that Monalee Lass reverts to five furlongs but his real chance today looks to be with Dabousiya in the juvenile fillies race. The Oxx runner showed a different level of form over a mile at Gowran last time and the second, Automatic Racer, won subsequently at Listowel.
A Thousand Stars showed a lot of early speed on her Listowel debut over seven furlongs and should go close in the opener.
Peratus brings an 86 rating to the auction maiden while the form of Triton Dance's debut at Tipperary has not been franked by Vettriano. Kevin Manning's mount La Motta could be the solution.
Jimmy Mansell's condition was much improved yesterday following the operation he underwent on Monday at the Galway University Hospital. Turf Club medical officer Walter Halley said: "He is fully conscious, out of intensive care and in what we call a high-dependency ward. He is now off any form of life support machinery and indeed the doctors had him out of bed today.
"The operation on his chest and lungs went well - I would call it a surgical procedure rather than an operation - and I hope that his transfer to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire will be able to go ahead although I don't know when."
