Sinndar is set to make his eagerly-awaited return to action in the Prix Niel at Longchamp on Sunday.

The Vodafone Derby winner has been enjoying a break since his nine-length victory in the Budweiser Irish Derby at the Curragh on July 2nd.

And trainer John Oxx reports the colt to be fresh and ready for his prep for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-Lucien Barriere back at Longchamp on October 1st.

"He's very well and the plan is to go to France. We're very happy with him," Oxx said yesterday. "He had a little break from fast work but he was cantering every day. He's freshened up well and he's in great form."

Sinndar is likely to be accompanied by at least one pacemaker in Sunday's 12-furlong contest. "We've got a couple of other horses in the entries, Takali and Raypour, and they both might go," Oxx added. "All going well the Arc is the plan after that."

Oxx also had news of his Melbourne Cup entries Enzeli (approx 9st) and Katiykha (8-6). "We've got a couple of entries but we haven't made any plans," Oxx said. "We run Katiykha in the Irish Leger and if we were to have a runner she'd be the more likely of the two.

"Enzeli runs in the Doncaster Cup on Thursday and then hopefully the Prix du Cadran. We haven't really discussed it yet and we'll have to see how Katiykha runs."

If Oxx's stable jockey, John Murtagh, draws the correct weight in the Ardilaun House Hotel Oyster Stakes at Galway this afternoon, it will be the lightest he has gone to scale in the past 12 months. His mount Fantasia Girl is the first which Oxx has trained for Sheikh Hassa.

There has been a reasonable element of beginner's luck to her two wins and two places from four starts. She was, however, well fancied for the Galtres Stakes at York and went off the 100 to 30 favourite. Her failure to pick up Firecrest has prompted her trainer to declare blinkers for her for the first time.

Incidentally, there was a second Irish runner, Reve Russe, in the race but she was at the other end of the market at 33 to 1. However, she not merely ran well above the performance the odds had indicated in finishing sixth of 13 but Ray Cochrane had a very unhappy ride in the straight as she repeatedly ran into trouble. If she is in the same form today she would test Fantasia Girl.

Reve Russe is not the only danger because this is by far the strongest race on the programme. The topweight Jammaal does not always run to his best level but he was not far off it on his last start when a close third to Takali in the Royal Whip at the Curragh.

Likewise Palace Royale put herself well in line for a Listed race victory when coming close to beating Grand Finale in the Ballycorus Stakes at Leopardstown.

After yesterday's heavy rain in Galway, Avorado, who acted well on soft ground in Tralee to beat Sligo Bay, can upset his fellow topweight, the course and distance winner, Monty Wooley in the Donnellys of Barna Nursery.

Confidence in Cashel Bay for the Long Walk Maiden will have been diluted by his defeat at Tralee in these conditions. However, there is no reason why his principal rival Epic Pursuit might not also prefer faster ground and bar the two the odds look long.