RACING/News: Rock of Gibralter was yesterday installed as a red-hot favourite to make history for Aidan O'Brien in the Entenmann's Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday.
The Sagitta 2,000 Guineas winner is quoted at 2 to 7 by Cork bookmaker Cashmans to complete a clean sweep of colts' Classics for his trainer, whose Landseer won the French equivalent earlier this month.
He was among just seven final declarations made yesterday for the Curragh contest, in which he will be ridden by Michael Kinane - who missed Newmarket through suspension.
O'Brien, who has won three of the last five runnings of the one-mile race, saddled the first three home last year and could well do so again if the betting is any guide.
His Century City (to be ridden by Seamus Heffernan) is 8 to 1 second favourite, with Della Francesca (Colm O'Donoghue) 14 to joint third favourite and Nostradamus (Paul Scallan) a 33 to 1 chance.
Outlining plans for some of the colts he took out of the Guineas yesterday, O'Brien said: "Castle Gandolfo and Creekview are possibles for the Prix Jean Prat.
"And Tendulkar will probably go for the Greenlands Stakes, along with Lahinch."
Jimmy Fortune rides sole British challenger Foreign Accent, who finished seventh in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury for John Gosden, with Johnny Murtagh on John Oxx's Ahsanabad and Pat Smullen aboard Dermot Weld's Sights On Gold.
The country has been badly hit by rain of late but racecourse manager Paul Hensey forecast ground "no worse than soft" for this weekend's meeting.
Richard Hughes is confident that French 1,000 Guineas winner Zenda will handle conditions when she bids to follow up in Sunday's Irish equivalent at the Curragh.
"It was quite dead in France when she won," the jockey said yesterday. I worked her the other morning on soft ground and she absolutely flew."
O'Brien revealed that he will run Quarter Moon, Kournakova, Maryinsky and Starbourne from his seven acceptors, with riding arrangements to be determined today.
He also announced that he is looking at running Diaghilev and Black Sam Bellamy in Sunday week's French Derby, with Kieren Fallon booked to ride Ballingarry in the Italian equivalent this Sunday.
Entenmann's Irish 2000 Guineas Cashmans betting: 2-7 Rock of Gibraltar, 8-1 Century City, 14-1 Della Francesca, Foreign Accent, 16-1 Ahsanabad, Sights On Gold, 33-1 Nostradamus.
