The Ballydoyle two-year-olds Sligo Bay and Leopard Spot remain possibles to give Aidan O'Brien a Group One farewell to the French season in Sunday's Grand Criterium de St Cloud. Immediately afterwards O'Brien's focus will switch westwards across the Atlantic.

O'Brien confirmed yesterday that his four intended Breeders' Cup runners and the three other intended Churchill Downs starters will fly out "early next week" and also confirmed the Breeders' Cup Classic second favourite Giant's Causeway to be "in very good form".

Turnberry Isle is the O'Brien runner for the Juvenile colts race and La Vida Loca looks to have decent prospects of making the Juvenile fillies race having been made first reserve. "Bernstein is in a Grade Three race the following day if he doesn't make it into the Mile," O'Brien said yesterday.

John Murtagh has an enviable book of Breeders' Cup rides, highlighted by the ante-post favourite for the fillies and mares race, Petrushka.

Before then, however, the jockey has to negotiate today's Thurles card but he can make the journey worthwhile by riding McCracken to success in the Holycross Welter Race.

Murtagh has a close-on 33 percent winning record around Thurles and he has three rides today. McCracken too is a proven operator around the Co Tipperary course having won his maiden hurdle around here and that could have been just the tonic for this occasionally frustrating type.

Although up against some other useful dual-purpose types, including the highly-rated War Cabinet, that last track victory may help significantly. The nap goes to Lisselan Fairways in the first division of the Glen Maiden. This one was a very decent third to Brief Dance on his sole start to date on heavy ground at Tralee.

Up against him are Murtagh's mount Knight's Palace and Dermot Weld's Amplified but Lissalen Fairways should do it.

Sparkling Star put in a noteworthy effort over hurdles in May when third to the smart pair of Fnan and Kimberley. It looks even more noteworthy in the context of the bumper here.