Ground and distance to suit Ela Athena

There's no Salsabil or Balanchine to put it up to the boys in tomorrow's Irish Derby but the fillies do take centre stage at the Curragh today and the Holding Court team of Michael Jarvis and Philip Robinson can land the featured Hunston Pretty Polly Stakes with Ela Athena.

Queen Elizabeth's first ever runner in Ireland, Spinning Top, grabbed the pre-race headlines during the week and heads a five-strong cross-channel challenge.

They also include last season's Pretty Polly runner-up Lady In Waiting and the Epsom Oaks fifth Lady Upstage. The latter represents Barry Hills whose horses have not quite been firing recently and even a strong home team headed by Preseli doesn't discourage hopes in the Jarvis runner.

Ela Athena thrived last season when presented with good to firm ground and 10 furlongs - just what's on offer today. A second in the Newmarket Pretty Polly was relegated in importance to a Chepstow Listed victory but her best effort of all was when second to Ramruma in the Yorkshire Oaks.

That proved her class and it's worth forgiving Ela Athena her only effort this term behind Blueprint in the Jockey Club Stakes. This ground and this trip should suit much better.

There are three British runners in the Group Three Curragh Cup and although Dermot Weld has the Italian Derby seventh Quality Team in the race, the three-year-old will do well to cope with the older Churlish Charm, a former Yorkshire Cup winner who ran Persian Punch to half a length in the Henry II Stakes.

Freud, the full brother to Giant's Causeway described as a "natural" by trainer Aidan O'Brien earlier in the year, makes his debut in the opener while Lindissima, just beaten in a mile maiden at Navan on the soft, should be much better suited by the trip and ground in the Summer Handicap and can break her career run of seconds with a win.

O'Brien and Michael Kinane combine with Ciro tomorrow in the Derby and while that colt's suspect stamina might see it face some problems, the Ballydoyle team can have a good day elsewhere on the card.

The Danehill colt Mozart is an automatic choice in the opener while the Gowran winner Honours List is hard to oppose in the Railway Stakes. But punters looking for a price on a Ballydoyle winner could do worse than take the hint of Warrior Queen's appearance in the Scurry Handicap.

Warrior Queen is a three-year-old giving weight away to some hardy operators but she's got a good draw, natural speed and was only just over three lengths off Nuclear Debate in the Kings Stand Stakes.

She's Our Mare, now in the care of Francis Flood, has to have her chance respected in the mile handicap now that her ground is here, while Rathbawn Prince should be capable of going close in the two mile handicap.

Just four go in the Group Two International Stakes and the St James's Palace fifth Sarafan looks the one to be on.