RACING: It's nearly the middle of June and the ground forecast of "soft to heavy" for Leopardstown today sounds more suitable for the Christmas festival, writes Brian O'Connor
Some heavy showers over the last 24 hours have made conditions even worse than expected, but the track authorities confirmed yesterday they are unlikely to disimprove for this evening's action.
That will please the Dermot Weld-Pat Smullen team, who could have a bumper night, including picking up the three black type contests.
Weld has had 20 winners already this season, just three behind Aidan O'Brien in Ireland, while Smullen has slowly but surely cut the gap to Michael Kinane in the jockeys table to six.
That has coincided with a comparative famine for the Ballydoyle horses at home and the trend could continue for this evening at least.
O'Brien's Irish Guineas third, Della Francesca, goes in the Group Three Gallinule, but if any horse is going to appreciate the ground conditions, it will be Jammaal.
The majority of Jammaal's six career victories have come on soft or worse and despite not having run since a sixth placing to Jomana in the Prix Exbury at St Cloud in March, he should be more at home than the opposition.
Rum Charger boasts a six lengths defeat of Salentino on the soft last year and also a smooth Athasi Stakes victory on similar ground this season. The filly is up against older horses, including One Won One, who has never succeeded above listed level, but her main danger could be Salentino, who is making his first start of the season.
Vision First upset the well-backed $4 million purchase Warhol when dropped back to six furlongs at Cork last time.
He handled the ground well on that occasion and his experience may just give him the edge over the newcomer, Catcher in the Rye.
The Storm Cat newcomer, Hold That Tiger, looks the obvious pick in the opener, a race that O'Brien has used in the past to introduce a smart colt. But the Weld camp can keep the tone of the evening going to the last where Beyond the Pole looks hard to oppose.
Racing at Tipperary tomorrow has been abandoned after an inspection yesterday morning showed the track to be unfit.
The meeting has now been switched to Wednesday, June 26th, and the original programme of races stands.
