In the autumn of his days Walter Haefner can reflect with pride that not only has Moyglare Stud bred Assert, the first French Derby winner to complete the Derby double at the Curragh, and Be My Guest, a champion sire in England and Ireland, but through its sponsorship over the past quarter of a century it has provided a Group One test for Irish juvenile fillies.
The current score is 18-7 for the home side against the invaders but while Aidan O'Brien is fielding a team of five and Con Collins has the unbeaten Softly Tread, the scales are still tilted in favour of the English challenge led by Hotelgenie Dot Com.
Her trainer Mick Channon is having a golden run with his two-year-old fillies and it is surely a pointer not to be ignored that this grey has been earmarked for the enormous prize that the Moyglare offers from early in the season.
In recent weeks, Pat Flynn has been inundated with requests for the services of his latest apprentice discovery, Tom Queally.
Queally has taken full advantage of the opportunities which Flynn has allowed him, but his master is holding on to him for the Irish Cambridgeshire where his claim will reduce Siberian Truce's weight to 7-3. Coincidentally, Flynn won this race two years with Lady Oranswell, also carrying 7-3.
Horse and jockey are going for a hat-trick and despite the rise in class it is within their compass.
Barry Hill's impressive Sandown winner, Out Of Reach, may live up to her name so far as her rivals are concerned in the Trusted Partner Matron Stakes.
Michael Grassick may be unable to repeat last year's Moyglare Stakes win but today he has a bright chance of winning the Cork feature race, the European Breeders Fund Fillies Handicap, with Forbidden Pleasure.
The last occasion she ran in a handicap, victory at the Curragh went to Pine Dance, destined to become the first Irish trained winner of the American Derby.
That would be a long way removed from fillies handicap class and Forbidden Pleasure further endorsed her chance by winning her maiden with ease afterwards.
Ballinrobe stages an all National Hunt programme tomorrow and J P McManus's Royal Marine again attempts to achieve what many punters believe to be the impossible: the winning of a novice chase. With his kind of experience, this could be the day.
Wet weather forced the abandonment of racing at Haydock Park yesterday after just three contests had been staged. Heavy downpours began after the first race and continued for some time.
