RACING: Hawk Wing remains a red hot favourite for tomorrow's Food Island Champion Stakes after just eight horses were declared against him at yesterday's final stage. Brian O'Connor reports.
One of those was High Chaparral who was left in as a precaution against anything happening to Hawk Wing.
Aidan O'Brien insisted he is not leaving anything to chance after Castle Gandolfo, an intended runner in the Champion, was ruled out due to poor blood-test results.
"Castle Gandolfo's first test results were not right so we didn't declare him. We haven't got the second set of results back yet so we've left High Chaparral in. It is purely a precaution," O'Brien said. High Chaparral's target remains the Prix Niel at Longchamp in nine days time. However, the anxiety surrounding the Ballydoyle stars is likely to continue with tests being continually taken.
Both Godolphin horses, Grandera and Best Of The Bests, will take part and Pat Smullen has been booked to ride the 20 to 1 outsider No Excuse Needed.
Rebelline was declared but is looking an increasingly unlikely runner with the ground at Leopardstown remaining "good to firm." The track's racing manager Tom Burke said: "Showery conditions are expected for Friday and Saturday but nothing of any consequence we're told. We watered on Tuesday to get the firmness out of the ground but nothing has been put on since." Rebelline's trainer Kevin Prendergast has already stated the filly will only run if the going is good to yielding or worse.
Paul Scallan has been confirmed as the rider of Sholokhov in the big race but that had little impact on Hawk Wing's position at the head of the market.
CHAMPION STAKES BETTING: (Paddy Power): 4-9 Hawk Wing, 7-2 Grandera, 12 Sholokhov, 14 Margarula, 16 Best Of The Bests and Rebelline, 20 No Excuse Needed, 33 Common World.
This evening Kilbeggan stages its last meeting of the year and it should be a profitable day for Christy Roche. The Curragh trainer runs Mind The Square in the bumper and a repeat of his one- length second to Royal Alphabet at Galway should be enough to win here. Roche, who in his riding days won the Champion Stakes on Assert 20 years ago, also has the easy Sligo winner Poc Fada in the opening maiden hurdle and the McManus horse will be hard to beat.
Alpha Rhythm was a 14 to 1 shot when winning his bumper at Naas. He's got the course winner Harry The Ear and the Tramore scorer Swordplay to beat in the novice hurdle but could be up to the task.
Adrian Lane's 7lb claim almost nullifies the 10lb penalty King Of Ireland picked up for winning at Cork a month ago. That can swing things in the second handicap hurdle.
