Things rarely get boring when Lanturn is around and that can be emphatically proved today if the Pat Hughes trained chaser can land the £65,000 Compaq Galway Plate.
Lanturn is now entering his steeple-chasing prime as a nine-year-old but he has packed a lot of incident into his career so far.
Two years ago at Galway, Lanturn won a maiden hurdle only to be subsequently disqualified after tests uncovered that he had eaten some contaminated feed. Later that year at Listowel, Lanturn again hit the headlines after he was controversially pulled up due to a pelvic injury.
At the beginning of this year, he looked to be a real Cheltenham fancy only to pick up a nasty foot injury in a warm up race at Leopardstown. The extent of that injury was such that Hughes doubted if Lanturn would ever race again. Those doubts look set to be definitively brushed aside today.
One thing that has shone out through Lanturn's career is his talent when right and he proved that that is still the case when returning from that foot injury to score at Killarney 16 days ago.
Richard Dunwoody's mount had been back in work for only a number of weeks but he was still sharp enough to beat Pas Possible by an easy eight lengths with Merry Gale and Cloone Bridge well behind.
Lanturn should strip significantly fitter for that and significantly there are no worries about him acting on the fast ground, a factor that has already accounted for one of the long time fancies Siberian Gale who was taken out yesterday, along with Merry Gale. The selection picked up only a 4lb penalty for that Killarney prep' and even in a typically competitive Plate, he does look to have an obvious chance.
Amlah's ground breaking victory last year has opened the gates to six cross-channel runners in 1999, including the top-weight Sparky Gayle. It will be a blow to home morale however if the raiders can't be repelled this time and maybe the dangers to Lanturn will come from the home front.
The Tipperary winner Moscow Express has a clear chance despite a 7lb penalty, but possibly a bigger problem to him will be his jumping in such a big field. Nicholls Cross may find the final hill a bridge too far so the forecast suggestion is Function Dream who put in a nice effort when runner-up to Native Man in a Tipperary hurdle.
Lanturn however will probably be a popular choice to put the seal on his career and provide a first Plate victory for both Hughes and Dunwoody.
On a typically competitive day's racing at Ballybrit, Dermot Weld should again prove the punter's friend in a number of contests.
It's doubtful if many of the opposition to Francis Bay in the opening hurdle could have got fifth behind General Cloney in the Ulster Derby and Francis Bay's general hurdles form also looks good enough to account for them.
A lot of cash went astray when Grand Ambition was beaten by Lucky Legend at the Curragh but the colt should have learned a lot and will appreciate the hill in the mile maiden. He is preferred to the O'Brien newcomer Kalahari.
The nap however goes to John Oxx's Abaiypour in the amateur maiden. This one looked well capable of picking up a race soon when a running on fifth to Halcyon in the Ladies Derby race at the Curragh and looks another that will relish the stiff finish. On two-year-old form, El Gran Hombre will be hard to beat but it is hardly encouraging that he reappears in a race like this.
The West Cork born trainer Niall O'Callaghan had his biggest career success to date when On A Soapbox won the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park last weekend. It was first Grade 1 victory for the Kentucky based O'Callaghan.
