NEWS ROUND-UPCASUAL CONQUEST finished five lengths behind New Approach in last Saturday's tumultuous Epsom Derby but Dermot Weld is not fighting shy of a rematch at the Curragh at the end of this month.

The Curragh trainer reported yesterday that Casual Conquest is on course for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, which is also the target for New Approach as well as Epsom runner-up Tartan Bearer.

New Approach has been installed as 4 to 6 favourite with Cashmans for Ireland's premier Classic, leaving Casual Conquest as long as 7 to 1 in ante-post betting after last weekend's action.

Weld said yesterday: "The winner was champion two-year-old of Europe and is clearly an outstanding horse. But Casual Conquest has come out of Epsom very well and it was only his third ever start. We feel he is entitled to take his chance in the Irish Derby."

New Approach's trainer Jim Bolger has already reported: "The immediate target is the Irish Derby. He wouldn't want firm ground."

Weld has other entries for the Irish blue riband but it looks like both Winchester and the French Derby runner-up, Famous Name, may end up elsewhere. "Famous Name will probably go for the Juddmonte International at York in August. We will review the situation with Winchester. I have an open mind about the Irish Derby but he has three options at Royal Ascot, including the Wolferton Stakes and the King Edward VII Stakes, and I would say Ascot is favourite right now," Weld said.

Winchester also ran last Saturday when surprisingly beaten by the Aidan O'Brien trained outsider Hindu Kush in the Listed Silver Stakes at the Curragh. On his Leopardstown debut, however, he beat the subsequent Epsom Oaks runner-up, Moonstone, in impressive fashion.

Chinese White was a disappointment for the Weld team in Friday's Oaks but the trainer added yesterday: "We will consider the Irish Oaks for her. Mad About You has a couple of options at Royal Ascot but there is also the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh for her too."

John Oxx is also examining the possibility of Katiyra taking in the Group One Pretty Polly Stakes over 10 furlongs as a prelude to another Classic attempt on the Irish Oaks.

Katiyra ran third to Look Here in last Friday's Epsom Oaks after a less than smooth passage through the race on the downhill run to the straight. "We were as happy with her as we could be without winning. She ran a grand race. I don't think the hill was an issue as much as traffic problems. She also lost her hind legs on a pathway. If she'd had more experience that would have helped but she still ran well," Oxx said yesterday.

"The Irish Oaks looks an obvious race for her. She is in the Pretty Polly too and I wouldn't rule her out of that either. There are three weeks until the Pretty Polly and another two weeks to the Oaks. That's a little closer than you'd like but it is feasible. We will see how she is but at the moment she has come out of Epsom fresh and well," he added.

The Curragh trainer currently looks like having just the one runner at next week's Royal Ascot meeting in the shape of Ebadiyan in the two-mile Queens Vase. Ebadiyan won on the all-weather at Dundalk in April before finishing runner-up to Hebredian at Gowran Park. Oxx also hopes to run his Group Three winner Age of Chivalry in the Brownstown Stakes at the Curragh early next month after her career best performance at Leopardstown last week.

A decision will be taken on watering the Leopardstown track this morning ahead of tomorrow night's card, which features the Group Three Ballycorus Stakes over seven furlongs. The going at the Dublin track yesterday was officially described as "good to firm."

A total of 24 entries remain in the Ballycorus ahead of this morning's declaration stage, including Aidan O'Brien's Georgebernarshaw, who was beaten in the French 2,000 Guineas on his last start. Also a possible is David Wachman's 114-rated four-year-old, Followmyfootsteps.

IRISH DERBY:(Cashmans): 4-6 New Approach, 4 Tartan Bearer, 7 Casual Conquest, 16 Washington Irving and King Of Rome, 20 Alessandro Volta, 25 Hindu Kush and Frozen Fire, 33 Winchester.