Not many trainers with a yard full of coughing horses can still manage to dominate a Group One, but it looks like being business as usual for Aidan O'Brien in tomorrow's big race at the Curragh.

He has four of the 10-strong field for Europe's first top-flight race of the season for juveniles, the Independent Waterford Wedgwood Phoenix Stakes.

O'Brien is searching for a fifth successive win in the race; but he was playing a typically cautious hand yesterday when asked about comparisons with champions such as Johannesburg and Fasliyev.

"We're only hoping , you can never be sure of anything with two year olds," he said; but that has done nothing to stop bookmakers going as short as 2 to 5 about the Ballydoyle trainer winning.

O'Brien has eventually decided to let the unbeaten railway winner, and 2,000 guineas second favourite, Hold That Tiger lead the Phoenix team with Statue Of |Liberty kept for another day.

Hold That Tiger battled well on soft ground to beat Pakhoes by half a length two months ago and is Mick Kinane's choice from the quartet.

"He was very green in his first race and he did well to win. For a green horse he did very well to win the last day and I am hoping he learned a lot from that. We are running three Storm Cats and a Danehill and all of them would prefer faster ground than they are going to get.

"Marino Marini pulled a shoe before the Norfolk at Ascot and got a little upset; it was a bit of a disaster but he still ran a good race.

"Ontario won well on his last start and Spartacus came back from running on fast ground to run a good race last time," O'Brien said.

The best of the three British challengers may be the filly Cassis who was unsuited by a slow early pace in the Cherry Hinton. Tacitus looked exposed when only 10th in the Coventry but ran a good second in the July Stakes afterwards.

Richard Hannon's charge will be ridden by Johnny Murtagh and is expected to appreciate the softish ground. "He has done everything asked of him so far and appears to be suited by soft ground," said Tim Jones for owners the Royal Ascot Racing Club.

It is a case of the usual suspects among the other home horses and despite coughing among his three-year-old stars, O'Brien's juveniles look set to keep the Group One flag flying.

Hold That Tiger was an 11 to 8 favourite with Cashmans yesterday; but it could be dangerous to take a short price.

Luminata boosted his form with a listed win at Leopardstown; but Marino Marini beat the same filly by an easy two and a half lengths in the Marble Hill and beat Pakhoes by more on his debut.

On top of everything else, the grey colt wasn't helped at Ascot by racing on the outside and Kinane's desertion has not stopped other Ballydoyle second strings hitting the jackpot. At 12 to 1 with Cashmans, Marino Marini looks a bet.

Like the big race, the Phoenix Sprint is being run at the Curragh for the first time and it looks set for export with the Dandy Nicholls-trained Bahamian Pirate.

A July Cup second blows the rest of these out of the water and the weight difference doesn't look enough to square things up.

Kinane has chosen Yesterday from the O'Brien quartet in the Group Three Debutante Stakes; but the Ballydoyle camp could have to settle for an indirect form boost.

Rapid Ransom's Tyros Stakes debut wasn't helped by a funeral early pace; but her reputation wasn't dented by a close fifth to Van Nistelrooy.

The French derby third, Simeon, looked the main three-year-old contender for the Royal Whip, but the soft ground-loving Chancellor looks up to taking the Group Two for the seniors. Astronomer had a hard race in the heavy at Sligo on Thursday; but gets into the two-mile handicap with a featherweight. He can upset the former Galway hurdle hero, Ansar.

Curragh manager Paul Hensey yesterday reported the going at the Curragh is beginning to dry out a little. "We had some rain yesterday and we changed the going to soft," said Hensey. "But it is a lovely day today and with the forecast I would hope it will be yielding by Sunday."