The pressure on Pat Smullen as he tries to retain his jockeys' title is getting more intense all the time but the champion can emerge from the weekend with his lead just about intact.
All told, the jockeys battle provides a fascinating edge to the end of the season but the main focus will be on the historic Birdcatcher Nursery and the Listed Retza & Soudavar Garnet Stakes at Naas tomorrow.
Jim Bolger's Nursery record in recent weeks has been remarkable and he is three-handed in a race he farmed in the 1990s, winning it five times in seven years.
However, the six-furlong race has also been a good contest for Curragh-based Jim Gorman who won it in 1998 with Cobourg Lodge and also last year with Princess Nutley.
The same colours will be carried by Nutley King tomorrow and he can make his first handicap start a winning one.
Just Special goes into the Listed race as the highest rated and the prospect of soft going should not be a problem for the lightly raced filly who only just failed to win at Group Two on the soft at Deauville earlier in the season.
Michael Grassick has had his best season since 1997 with a total of 20 winners this term and his patience with the light-framed Just Special, just four starts this year, can now pay off.
Murtagh's presence can really be felt in the opener where Masani can build on promising Curragh debut and on the Listowel hurdles winner Vatirisk who has form on the soft over flights. Smullen, though, can keep his nose in front courtesy of the Park Stakes third Easy Sunshine.
Kinane's commitments at Newmarket today keep him away from a number of promising rides at Tipperary in Temple Of Artemis and Ballingarry but there will be a precautionary inspection at the track at 7.30 this morning after some heavy showers yesterday.
Meanwhile, dual-Derby winner Galileo is due to have his last race in next Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont Park in New York.
Hopes that the Aidan O'Brien-trained three-year-old would be back in action next season have been dashed by an announcement that he is to be retired to stand as a stallion at Coolmore Stud.
And the all-conquering Coolmore team put the disappointing performance of Black Sam Bellamy, a full brother to Galileo, in the opening maiden (well-beaten at 4 to 9) behind them when Century City landed the Heathavon Stud Houghton Conditions Stakes at Newmarket yesterday. Century City stayed on stoutly to hold off the challenge of Lunar Sovereign by three lengths.
In the absence of his Doncaster conqueror Dubai Destination, Rock Of Gibraltar is very much the one to beat in the Group One Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket this afternoon.
Even if the rivals he destroyed in the Grand Criterium at Longchamp last time were nothing special, today's opposition looks little stronger and the Alex Ferguson-owned juvenile can give O'Brien his 18th Group One win of the season.
O'Brien runs two in the mile-and-a-quarter Dubai Champion Stakes, Hawkeye and Beckett, but they may have to play second fiddle to Nayef, winner of last month's Group Three Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot.
