Uncertainty surrounds Enrique's participation in Saturday's Entenmann's Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh. Henry Cecil's charge, beaten a neck by Island Sands - supplemented yesterday for the race at a cost of £25,000 - in the Sagitta 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, has been the subject of rumours emanating from this country that all is not well.
Cork-based bookmakers Cashmans acted by making Enrique 2 to 1 with a run for the classic and cutting the price of Island Sands from 2 to 1 to evens.
The firm's spokesman Paul Cashman commented: "Betting patterns on the race and some unsubstantiated rumours had suggested that Enrique may not be 100 per cent.
"By quoting Enrique with a run we are warning punters while not saying in any way that we believe the rumours to be true.
"This kind of thing is not uncommon in Ireland - we have been hearing these kind of stories about Istabraq for three years now!"
Cecil was unavailable for comment last night.
Enrique and Island Sands are the only two British-trained colts in a field of 11 declared yesterday for the first Irish classic of the season.
The home challenge was diluted when the unbeaten Tetrarch winner Major Force, expected to have been supplemented at a cost of £25,000, was ruled out by Dermot Weld.
"Major Force usually works extremely well but he wasn't up to his usual high standard this morning. It's nothing very dramatic but with the large amount of money needed to run him, we decided the right thing to do is not to run him. I would have wanted to be 100 per cent happy with him," Weld said.
The Curragh trainer will now depend on Mus-If who will be ridden by Pat Smullen. Although Cashmans rate the National Stakes winner a 12 to 1 chance, Smullen said: "Mus-If is very well and is a Group One winner so he must have a good chance."
Pat Eddery has committed himself to Access All Areas, runner-up on seasonal debut at Leopardstown, and Kevin Prendergast will rely on Stravinsky's Curragh conqueror Tarfaa.
The ante-post market for Sunday's 1,000 Guineas is less clear with Aidan O'Brien still to decide which of his large string of fillies will represent him.
A total of 23 remain in the classic headed by Henry Cecil's Newmarket heroine Wince. However, may of those who finished behind her there are lining up for another crack.
Capistrano Bay (third at Newmarket) Hula Angel (sixth) and Golden Silca (seventh) will travel from Britain while Tommy Stack's Fear And Greed (13th) and Sunpangled (15th) are also expected to run. Godolphin will be represented by the Princess Margaret Stakes and Shergar Cup winner Mythical Girl who was supplemented yesterday.
Sunday's other highlight, the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup, will see another Godolphin-Ballydoyle clash with Daylami going for a repeat win in the race and set to be faced by Second Empire. Michael Stoute has also confirmed Insatiable a runner.
