A measly 50 pence entry to Leopardstown today will test the theory that it's high costs that keep the casual racegoer away. The big race sponsors, Golden Pages, are celebrating their 30th year in Ireland, hence the entry at 1969 prices.
It's an initiative to be applauded but the casuals testing the atmosphere will have their brains addled trying to work out the featured £50,000 handicap. This is no surprise, considering that in 1973, even the subsequent Arc de Triomphe winner Star Appeal was beaten in this contest.
Traditionally one of the trickiest races in the calendar to win, one man who seems to have the inside line on how to do it is Jim Bolger who, the record books tell us, has landed the spoils six times.
Bolger himself will argue it should be seven times as his horse Jazz Me Blues was disqualified from first in 1984. Whatever the arguments, more than one punter will be taking a closer than usual look at his runners here, Graduated and Father Murphy.
The veteran Graduated is the one with the race pedigree, having won it in 1996 and 1997 but stable jockey Kevin Manning is on Father Murphy. Neither can be discounted but it's another Bolger horse that figures in what could be the most relevant bit of form. That is Tiger Shark who won over the course and distance at the start of the month. Tiger Shark seemed to slip the field that day but behind in third was Quintus who won at Killarney on Wednesday and in fourth was Royal Dane who lurks at the bottom of the handicap in today's race at an attractive 8.2.
That was Royal Dane's first run for Noel Meade, having won over a mile here last August for Tommy Stack and it was an encouraging effort that should have the Danehill colt spot on this afternoon.
The dangers to that theory are numerous, with Royal Dane's stablemate Eternal Night not out of it, nor the other lightweight She's Our Mare or the Dermot Weld hope Landing Slot. Nevertheless, with this race in mind and the upcoming Galway festival, Royal Dane looks to be coming into form at the right time.
The other highlight on the card is the first appearance of the highly touted Zentsov Street, who is owned by the Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, in the seven-furlong maiden. The Nureyev colt is reported to be among the front rank of the Ballydoyle juveniles and that should be more than enough for this.
The two Listed races on the card can fall to the consistent Bolger-trained Desert Sky, who looks to have Buffalo Berry to beat in the Silver Flash Stakes, and the Curragh Cup runner-up Yeoman's Point can beat Catherina and the Queen Alexandra winner San Sebastian in the Challenge Stakes.
French Oaks second Star of Akkar confirmed her superiority over Visionnaire in the nine-furlong Group Three Prix Chloe at Chantilly yesterday. The hot favourite, ridden by Thierry Gillet, got home by three-quarters of a length.
French Oaks second Star of Akkar confirmed her superiority over Visionnaire in the nine-furlong Group Three Prix Chloe at Chantilly yesterday. The hot favourite made every post a winning one under Thierry Gillet.
Star of Akkar got home by three-quarters of a length, although she ducked right and hampered Visionnaire on the line.
