News and preview: Attraction is rated as low as evens favourite to complete a historic English-Irish 1,000 Guineas double at the Curragh on Sunday.
No filly has ever won both the Newmarket Guineas and the Boylesports Irish 1,000 Guineas but as expected the Mark Johnston team yesterday forked out €40,000 to supplement her into the weekend Classic.
Attraction was not the only supplementary entry as the Sheikh Mohammed-owned Illustrious Miss has also been put into the race. David Loder prepared that filly to win a Group Three at Lingfield last time.
All told the bookmakers believe the Classic could be dominated by cross-channel runners with the first five in Paddy Power's betting trained in Britain.
The sponsors make Jim Bolger's Alexander Goldrun the best of the home team at 10 to 1 but the main focus in Sunday's Classic will inevitably be on the unbeaten Attraction. She may not be an oil painting but she is rated by trainer Mark Johnston as the best he has trained.
"It is unusual to be unbeaten in six races, from five furlongs to a mile, a champion two-year-old and a Classic winner. I've never had one like that before," he said yesterday.
Of those that finished behind Attraction at Newmarket, Secret Charm (fifth) and Majestic Desert (ninth) are entered to have another crack at the favourite but the latter is not a certain starter with trainer Mick Channon also considering the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Secret Charm worked at the weekend, after which trainer Barry Hills, who won the Irish Guineas with Hula Angel in 1999, said: "I was very pleased with that and she definitely runs at the Curragh."
Aidan O'Brien is chasing a fourth success in the 1,000 Guineas and he has left in seven of the total 24 entry.
They include the Lingfield Oaks winner Baraka who is described as "an unlikely runner" by O'Brien but the trainer will still be strongly represented.
"The plan is to run Necklace and the likes of Last Love, Lucky and Follow are possibles," O'Brien said yesterday.
The ground at the Curragh remains "good to firm" on the round course which still hasn't stopped Richard Hannon from supplementing Nysaean into the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup at a cost of €26,000.
The double Mooresbridge winner is one of 13 left in the race and the 10-furlong contest is an intended target for the former French Derby winner Sulamani from Godolphin.
The Ballydoyle team have Brian Boru and Powerscourt in the Tatts but O'Brien said yesterday: "Powerscourt is the most likely of ours. Brian Boru might wait for something like the Coronation Cup."
Day Flight, the 20-length winner of York's Glasgow Stakes, is a notable name among the 17 left in the Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes with Cairdeas, owned by the President, also figuring.
Paddy Power 1,000 Guineas betting: 9-4 Attraction, 3 Secret Charm, 6 Illustrious Miss, 7 Majestic Desert, 8 Nataliya, 10 Necklace, 14 Baraka, 16 bar.
Boylesports: Evens Attraction, 7 Secret Charm, 8 Illustrious Miss, 10 Alexander Goldrun, 12 Misty Heights, Nataliya and Necklace, 14 Kinnaird and Majestic Desert, 16 bar.
A six-race card is a rare beast these days but Clonmel hosts one this evening where Christmas River can get punters off to the perfect start in the maiden hurdle. Runner up at Killarney last time, the Paddy Mullins horse should score in this company while the trainer's son, Tom, can also hit the target in the last with Bob What.
The four-runner chase is an interesting little contest which can go to Quadco if he is over his efforts behind Wests Awake at Roscommon on Monday.
Gold Flo was runner-up to Brigadier Bown at Limerick but may be up to improving on that in the handicap hurdle.
