News round-up: Connections of Frank Sonata are well aware of the stiff task their stable star faces in taking on Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats in the Irish Field St Leger at the Curragh.
The five-year-old has proved a grand servant in recent seasons for the Mick Quinlan yard but Saturday's contest will be the first time he has tried his hand at Group One level since finishing last in the 2004 St Leger.
"Obviously Yeats is going to be a hard nut to crack but the owner is keen to have a go at it," said Noel Quinlan, the trainer's brother.
"We'll take our chance and he's in good form. You can forget about his run at Haydock (ninth in the Old Borough Cup).
"He never got into the race at all. For whatever reason he jumped out last and he was still last turning in, so I think we can draw a line through that completely.
"They are expecting heavy rain at the back-end of the week which should help him. We'll go there to win but hopefully he can pick up a nice bit of prize money as he's in good form now.
"He's been placed in Group Threes and he's a dual Listed winner. He's in the same sort of form now but he's up against a good one on Saturday," he added.
Cashmans have reported a move for the John Oxx-trained Kastoria.
An 8-1 chance when betting opened with the firm on Monday, the mare is now trading as low as 5-1 after a string of hefty bets including one of € 1,000 each-way at 7-1.
Meanwhile, Aidan O'Brien's Holy Roman Emperor and Jim Bolger's unbeaten Teofilo head a field of 19 for Sunday's Laing O'Rourke National Stakes at the Curragh.
O'Brien has farmed the Group One event in recent seasons with six successes in the last 10 years with the likes of King Of Kings, Hawk Wing and George Washington.
Holy Roman Emperor has already proved himself to be of the highest calibre with success in the Phoenix Stakes while Teofilo won the Group Two Futurity Stakes on his last start.
O'Brien has seven other possibles, headed by Eagle Mountain, who chased home Teofilo in the Futurity and was a fast-finishing second in the Champagne Stakes at York last week.
There are three possibles from Britain including the Mick Channon-trained Silca Chiave, Mark Wallace's Manchurian and Brian Meehan's Danebury Hill.
Cashman's bet (Irish Field St Leger): 1-3 Yeats, 5 Kastoria, 14-1 Frank Sonata, 14-1 Percussionist, The Whistling Teal, 20-1 Akarem, Fracas, Puerto Rico, 33-1 bar.
