Racing:It would be hard to exaggerate the impact tomorrow's series of trials at Leopardstown could have on racing's top flight for the rest of the season.
Not only is there the Group Three Ballysax Stakes, which has thrown up the last three Derby winners, but the current favourite for Epsom, Brian Boru, will be worked after racing and the unbeaten Refuse To Bend, a 10 to 1 shot for both the Derby and the Guineas, will have a first spin of the season in the 2,000 Guineas Trial.
Throw in a 1,000 Guineas Trial and the second start of a maiden, Former Senator, so highly regarded by his trainer, Dermot Weld, he was supplemented into the Derby for £9,000 during the week, and it may pay to invest in a video of tomorrow's action just to be able to say you were there when . . .
Aidan O'Brien isn't one for exaggeration normally, but even he couldn't underplay the expectation that will surround Alberto Giacometti in the Ballysax and Brian Boru in the private Ballydoyle sweepstakes.
"We should learn a fair bit," he admitted yesterday. That's O'Brien speak for there's a helluva lot at stake.
"Brian Boru will go with The Great Gatsby and one or two others in a nice piece of work. Leopardstown have promised us safe ground, which is what we want," he added.
The course have also granted the Master of Ballydoyle permission to use stalls for the piece of work.
How Brian Boru, 4 to 1 for Epsom, compares with Alberto Giacometti, 7 to 1 next best for the Derby, will be fascinating but the latter isn't even guaranteed to win on a day like this.
Lurking amongst his four opponents is the unbeaten Alamshar, also a £9,000 Derby supplementary, who is the only colt to beat Brian Boru and who gets a handy 3lb from Alberto Giacometti.
Normally such a runner from the Sinndar team would have one itching to get on, but during the week there was no disguising the regard with which Alberto Giacometti is held in Ballydoyle.
Weld has a similarly high opinion of Refuse To Bend, who is on trial for the Newmarket Guineas against seven others over a mile in the 2,000 Guineas trial.
The National Stakes winner has to concede 7lb all round, but there is a confidence surrounding the Moyglare colt that is pretty infectious.
It could be a very good day all told for the Weld team as the Red Ranson colt Military Option goes in the opener and the one-time Group contender Stage Affair goes off a mark of 89 in the mile-and-a-half handicap.
The point-to-point service has been restored to Aertel after talks with the Turf Club. The fixtures and results can be seen on page 508 on Network 2. The service had been stopped for some weeks.
