WITH Michael Kinane engaged at Ascot, Pat Shanahan steps into the breach for Dermot Weld at Dundalk this evening and he can do so successfully on Rafahiyah in the one-mile Blackrock Maiden.
This Irish River filly made her racecourse debut only 11 days ago at the other end of the country in Cork where she kept on well to be third to the odds-on Eternal Joy and Kilbride Joy.
The latter's trainer, Michael Halford, saddles two against her tonight, but Next Wind doesn't seem to have produced enough so far in two runs to warrant consideration and Velvet Appeal's handicap rating is deceptive as she hasn't reproduced her excellent fourth to Bianca Nera in last season's Moyglare Stud Stakes.
In the circumstances, the unexposed Rafahiyah should be open to enough improvement on Only her second appearance to deal with this evening's opposition.
Jade Vine, who appears in the Omeath Maiden, is another from the Aidan O'Brien juvenile machine. With Be Crafty in opposition over the mile trip, this could turn into a slight hiccup in the Ballydoyle run of success.
