THE TOP Australian horse Starspangledbanner is set to have his first start for Aidan O’Brien on Wednesday when he lines up for the Duke Of York Stakes.
He is among a strong team that Ireland’s champion trainer is considering sending to York including Cape Blanco who is due to try and earn an Epsom Derby place in Thursday’s Dante Stakes.
However, there will be plenty of interest around Wednesday’s Group Three Duke Of York as Starspangledbanner starts off a European campaign that could lead to next month’s Royal Ascot festival.
O’Brien handled another Aussie star, Haradasun, to win the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot two years ago and there are similar Group One aspirations for Starspangledbanner who will enter stud back in Australia later in the year at a reported fee of €23,000.
The son of Choisir is a dual-Group One winner Down Under with success in last October’s Caulfield Guineas over a mile and in February’s Oakleigh Plate over five and a half furlongs.
His opposition this week will include last year’s Gimcrack winner Showcasing.
O’Brien also has the option of running either Awe Inspiring and Cabaret in Wednesday’s Musidora Stakes but has decided that Gile Na Greine is to skip York in favour of a crack at the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on May 23rd.
Killarney’s May festival continues this evening with Powerstation providing some star appeal to the fixture but in circumstances hardly guaranteed to show him at his best. Eamonn O’Connell’s 10-year -old ran another blinding race at the Cheltenham festival when third to Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle and that is a level of hurdles form that would be beyond anything else in today’s handicap chase.
However, Powerstation is officially rated over two stone inferior over fences. A novice winner at Clonmel in 2008, he hasn’t raced over the bigger obstacles since last autumn’s Munster National when making no impression behind Treacle and it may pay to take an each-way interest instead in Jessica Harrington’s Fantoche who should be okay on the quick ground.
The Harrington team will also fancy their chances in the opening mares maiden hurdle with Auspicious Outlook who belied 33 to 1 odds to win a bumper at the Punchestown festival and who was a point-to-point winner last year.
Sweeps Hill is hard to oppose on figures in the conditions hurdle after a Grade One third to Blackstairmountain at Punchestown while the pair of Gift Of Dgab and Rivage d’Or can score for the champion owner Michael O’Leary.
Colm Murphy and Paul Townend are an interesting combination with Gormanstown Cuckoo who didn’t win a bumper but whose placed efforts are eye-catching enough in today’s company.
