Lafitte The Pirate looks best

THE only ones made to walk the plank to date by Lafitte The Pirate have been those paying his training fees. Michael Tabor paid 270,000 guineas as a yearling for this half-brother to the Irish Oaks winner Colorspin and put him into training with Andre Fabre at Chantilly.

Fabre soon discovered that this was no classic horse and he came to Ireland to Aidan O'Brien where after three losing runs he was dispatched to the Newmarket Autumn Sales. Here Aidan bought him back for his wife Annemarie for 42,000 guineas.

Any notion that he might show extra improvement from three to four was dented when he finished a well beaten third to Mofasa on his reappearance at Killarney a month ago.

If, however, he is not up to winning the Horse and Jockey Handicap at Thurles this afternoon, his prospects will look even gloomier.