The four-day Killarney July meeting gets under way this evening with an eight-race fixture that could see favourite backers well set up for the week ahead.

The most valuable pot is the £10,000 Muscrai Chase, which has the Galway Plate winner, Moscow Express, coming off a run of three runner-up placings.

His last outing was behind Duinin at Cork but before that he was second in flat races at Wexford and Naas, which signified Moscow Express's well-being. So well that he'll be a very short price, but it's hard to see Ruby Walsh's mount beaten.

Another hotpot it's hard to get away from is Aidan O'Brien's La Vida Loca in the mile maiden. The Caerleon filly is no giant physically but in this race's context she looks set to overpower her rivals.

The second of two runs in Listed races over Leopardstown's six furlongs featured a half length second to stablemate Freshwater Pearl. Throw that level of performance in with La Vida Loca's probable liking for the increased trip and she is a clear choice.

O'Brien has a rare bumper runner in the last, and Buffalo Bill, a son of Be My Native and the smart Sylvia Fox, will not have to be overly special to beat Five Of Hearts and Just My Scene, who featured behind Rua Lass at Cork.

Ennoble's third to Hang 'Em High and Dark Trojan at Cork now reads pretty well and Danny O'Connell's charge will be hard to beat in the second division of the maiden hurdle; and last year's winner Akasian will be most people's choice if promoted from first reserve to the two-mile handicap field.

Jim Bolger's Quest For Fame filly, Siamsa, has found one too good on her two starts over 10 furlongs but gets another furlong in the Smirnoff Handicap and that can give her the edge over Montpelier Street.

Shabob, the horse that landed Donal Bromley with a 12-day ban for "insufficient effort" when finishing fourth in a handicap hurdle at Clonmel last month, landed the two-mile Enniscorthy Maiden under Shane Kelly at Wexford on Saturday.

Harry Rogers, who trains the four-year-old for the 18-strong Glyde Racing Club from Tallanstown, said of his narrow winner: "He's an ordinary horse who was entitled to win that race on his official rating."

Cappamore Girl got up in the dying strides under a determined drive from Pat Smullen to deny Biddy Blackhurst in the 13-furlong handicap,