With Cork's National Hunt fixture dependant on passing a 7.30 inspection tomorrow morning, the opening of the Flat at the Curragh could have Sunday to itself with Utterly Heaven possibly providing the perfect start to the new season.
Dermot Weld, who trained more winners in Ireland than anyone else last year, reports he is satisfied with his string's readiness for the kick off and the newly-promoted Group Three Park Express Stakes looks a good opportunity for his four-year-old filly.
A winner on heavy ground last season, Utterly Heaven's experience, which includes a fourth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, may be crucial against the first Ballydoyle runner of 2006, Chenchikova.
The full-sister to the double Derby and Breeders' Cup hero High Chaparral won her only start to date at Tipperary last August but is already joint favourite in some ante-post lists for the Oaks. This is a big ask against older fillies, though, and O'Brien is unlikely to have her fully wound up already.
The pre-weekend whispers about the opening two-year-old race have been mainly about Miss Beatrix and Tommy Stack's hope Drayton who is by the progressive sire Danetime.
Stack also gives the five-time course and distance winner Serov a start in the sprint handicap and from just 1lb out of the handicap the veteran will be a threat to all on his best form.
A total of 26, including the former winners Tolpuddle and Victram, line up for the ladbroke.com Lincolnshire and the likes of Bobs Pride and Kalderon, who are also fit from hurdling, will be major contenders too.
However, it might pay to side with Willie Supple's mount Our Jaffa who could only manage 18th in this race last year in her first start in Ireland. Harry Rogers had her winning easily by Leopardstown last October and she looks nicely weighted to give Supple a decent chance of a big winner on his return to this country.
John Oxx's King In Waiting, a brother to the Derby-placed Let The Lion Roar, has a Derby entry himself and looks one to watch in the concluding maiden.
There will be a jumping flavour on the card courtesy of the bumper where the Cork trainer Robert Tyner provides an interesting contender in Footy Facts. This one followed up a point-to-point victory with an impressive 20-length win in a Thurles bumper and could be a value bet against Irish Invader.
If Cork does get the green light, and the track was unraceable yesterday, then Thursday's chase winner Kilbeggan Lad will surely go close in the handicap hurdle while Well Run will be hard to beat in the bumper.
l One of the Galway Festival's most famous races, the McDonogh Handicap, will be retitled the Tote.ie Handicap under a new three-year sponsorship deal announced yesterday. The Tote will sponsor six of the seven races on the second day of the festival. The race will now be worth €150,000.
