RACING: Dermot Weld may have struck first at Arlington this year with Simple Exchange but Aidan O'Brien is travelling in force to try to top that at Saturday night's Million meeting in Chicago. Brian O'Connor reports.
Powerscourt is a confirmed starter in the Arlington Million itself but he will not be the sole Ballydoyle runner in search of a Grade One prize.
Last year's Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Necklace will return to action in the Beverly D Stakes, where her likely opponents will include the Godolphin hope Crimson Palace.
Necklace hasn't run since finishing fourth to Ouija Board in the Epsom Oaks and will try to become the first Irish-trained winner of the Beverly D since Timarida in 1996.
Simple Exchange has remained at Arlington since his Grade Two victory in last month's American Derby but the Weld runner will be joined in the Secretariat Stakes by the O'Brien-trained Moscow Ballet.
O'Brien won the Secretariat with Ciro four years ago and a small field is looking increasingly likely for the 2004 renewal.
As well as the two Irish horses, there is Hazyview from Britain, but the home team appear to have been scared off by the highly-rated Kittens Joy, who has won six of his last seven starts on turf.
Dermot Weld has outlined plans for his 2002 Melbourne Cup hero Media Puzzle and they do not include a return to Flemington Park in early November.
An encouraging return to action at the Curragh on Sunday had propelled Media Puzzle to the top of the betting for this year's Melbourne feature but Weld describes as "unlikely" the horse's chances of making it.
Vinnie Roe will begin his preparation for an attempt at a record fourth Irish St Leger in Leopardstown's Ballyroan Stakes and Weld will postpone any decision about Melbourne until after the last classic of the season.
This evening's all-flat fixture at Gowran sees the most powerful yards in the country represented in force and it looks like John Oxx and Michael Kinane can set the ball successfully rolling in the juvenile maiden with Laudable.
The Machiavellian colt ran prominently throughout on his Curragh debut and wound up with only the promising Carnegie Hall in front of him at the line.
Considering the subsequent winner Defi and Premier Dane were behind Laudable, that was a good effort and the newcomers will have to be well above average to cope with him.
Tivoli Fountain is 4lbs better off with Descriptive on the Naas form that saw Weld's filly beat Camouflage by half a length. Descriptive though can improve again and take the Nursery.
The top amateur Niall Madden scored with his first ride for Weld when Orpington won at the Galway festival. Tonight the three-year-old teams up with Pat Smullen in the mile-and-a-half handicap and there should be significant improvement from that Ballybrit effort.
Slightly Shifty looked an unlucky loser in a Sligo handicap when hampered by the eventual winner Mount Grace. Jim Gorman has booked the promising claimer Pádraig Beggy in the apprentice handicap and consolation for the three-year-old could be on the cards.
There was an emotional first training success for Ed Vaughan at Bath yesterday when the former assistant to the late Alec Stewart landed the Miss Hucklebridge Handicap with all-the-way winner Raysoot.
Kieren Fallon's mount was a fifth runner for Vaughan since he took over responsibility for Stewart's string on the Newmarket trainer's untimely death last week.
