All is fine after Yeats canter

Jamie Spencer teamed up with the Derby favourite Yeats for a pre-Epsom workout at Ballydoyle yesterday morning.

Jamie Spencer teamed up with the Derby favourite Yeats for a pre-Epsom workout at Ballydoyle yesterday morning.

The partnership, who are as low as 9 to 4 to win racing's blue riband next Saturday, emerged unscathed from what trainer Aidan O'Brien described as "a good, long canter".

"Jamie rode and everything seems to be fine," said O'Brien, who hasn't ruled out the prospect of sending the Gallinule Stakes winner, Meath, to Epsom as well.

"He is still a possible to go to Epsom as well. He is not a definite to run in the French Derby," he said before issuing a ground warning about his three possible starters in Friday's Oaks.

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"The ground is a concern for all of them, especially Baraka," he added.

There will be no Classic form boost for Yeats tomorrow as Dermot Weld has ruled out Relaxed Gesture from the Italian Derby after what he described as "veterinary advice".

Weld and stable jockey Pat Smullen will be on duty at Limerick this evening where the feature is the Listed Martin Molony Stakes.

They run the filly Ivowen, who dead-heated with Royal Alphabet at the Curragh last Sunday, but she could be up against it with John Oxx running both Mkuzi and Tarakala.

Michael Kinane is on Mkuzi, who would relish quick going, but Tarakala is in good form at the moment with wins at Gowran and Cork and the Dr Fong filly can provide Catherine Gannon with a valuable Stakes success.

Gannon is on Signora Rossa in the apprentice handicap and the mile trip can work in the Con Collins runner's favour rather than Europaea.

The latter had a second career success at six furlongs over the Curragh last time but has only run once over a mile when well down the field.

Kinane will be the punters' choice in the last race of the evening where he rides the Selkirk filly Zafarna who ran well on her debut behind Akarem at Leopardstown.

Kinane also looks to have a winning shout on Eurobound in the auction maiden.

The jockey to follow at Wexford should be Ruby Walsh who can kick off the meeting with a winner on Gimli's Axe. The Frances Crowley-trained horse was half a length too good for Mac Three in a Roscommon bumper earlier this month.

San Diego is 7lb higher in the ratings for a three-and-a-half length defeat of She's My Girl at Punchestown but can follow up in the first handicap hurdle.

Willie Mullins runs the Gowran third Candy Girl in the mares bumper but she will do well to cope with Lovely Present, who found only Missindependence too good on her Punchestown debut.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column