Aidan O'Brien yesterday indicated that the red hot 2,000 Guineas favourite George Washington will take his chance at the Curragh on Sunday after all.
George Washington is already as short as 4 to 1 market leader for the 2006 Newmarket Guineas after his eight-length demolition of the Phoenix Stakes field last month and is now set to try for the second Group One prize of his career in the Laing O'Rourke National Stakes.
After his last start O'Brien hinted that George Washington might not run again this season but there appears to have been a significant change of mind.
"The plan at the moment is that George Washington will run," the Ballydoyle trainer said. "He has to get through all his checks in the morning but right now he is a probable runner. We will possibly run something else in the race too."
O'Brien has five entries in the race ahead of this morning's final declaration stage including Horatio Nelson and Ivan Denisovich. However, neither of them is likely to take on their stable companion if George Washington does get the definite green light this morning.
David Wachman's unbeaten Heatseeker and the Mick Channon-trained Hazeymm do look like taking on George Washington who is likely to be long odds-on to provide O'Brien with a sixth success in Ireland's most prestigious two-year-old contest.
Vinnie Roe will have eight opponents in his attempt at a remarkable five-in-a-row in tomorrow's Irish Field St Leger and they will include the 2003 runner-up Gamut from Michael Stoute's yard.
Gamut is one of four cross-channel hopes against the big home trio of Vinnie Roe, Yeats and Shalapour and the Newmarket raider will be attempting to fill in yet another Leger blank for his trainer.
Bookmaker reaction to yesterday's final declaration of nine horses for the final Classic of the season was to make Gamut "best of the rest" behind the top three in the betting.
Yeats remains a general 2 to 1 favourite to give Aidan O'Brien and Kieren Fallon a first Leger victory at the Curragh with Vinnie Roe next best at 5 to 2 and the sole three year old Shalapour is a 3 to 1 shot.
Christophe Soumillon will be on board Shalapour and will be chasing a second Irish Classic success of the year after Shawanda's Irish Oaks rout in July.
Dermot Weld has expressed fears about the possibility of fast conditions for Vinnie Roe but the ground at the Curragh yesterday was officially good all round.
"We had 6mms of overnight rain and we might get another two-three mms later on. But the weekend is forecast to be dry," reported the Curragh manager Paul Hensey. "We will keep an eye on things because we want to make sure the going is safe. If there are spots still quite quick then we might put a little more water on but it will be minimal."
Vinnie Roe's jockey Pat Smullen will be at Downpatrick today and the season's leading rider will be on board the Galway bumper winner Stolen Light in the mile-and-a-half maiden.
This race could end up being remembered, however, for providing Siniyya with a very valuable winning opportunity. Sinndar's full sister hasn't inherited a fraction of her brother's ability but she drops back to a mile and a half today and her front-running style could be suited to this undulating track.
Ruby Walsh looks a significant booking for Buoni Island in the opening maiden hurdle, especially since Colm Murphy's charge ran a good third to Blackhall Claw at Kilbeggan last time.
Chenchikova, a full-sister to multiple Group One winner High Chaparral, was an impressive winner on her racecourse bow at Tipperary yesterday.
Aidan O'Brien chose to give the Sadler's Wells filly a relatively easy introduction in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund (Fillies) Maiden.
Chenchikova was uneasy in the market, but Kieren Fallon settled the filly in third and although he had to push her along a touch turning for home, the further she went, the more impressive she looked. Chenchikova powered through in the final furlong to beat Nautical Design by an easy two lengths.
