The unbeaten Bach emerged yesterday as the probable first-choice Ballydoyle runner for Sunday's clash with Sinndar in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown.
The course winner is one of seven Aidan O'Brien-trained horses left in the Group Three contest over 10 furlongs but with Ciro set for Longchamp's Prix Lupin, and Apollo Victoria heading a bunch of possibles for the Lingfield Derby Trial, the way is clear for Bach.
"He looks a very strong possibility for Leopardstown," O'Brien said yesterday before confirming the Irish 2,000 Guineas as a probable return date for the Newmarket runner-up Giant's Causeway.
"He's definitely a possible for the Curragh. He's come out of the Guineas in super shape," he said.
One of Bach's opponents will be the National Stakes winner Sinndar who earned a 25 to 1 quote for the Epsom Derby after a promising seasonal debut run behind Grand Finale last month.
John Oxx's colt will have to shoulder a Group One penalty but will probably have a pacemaker in Shayadi to cut out a desired strong gallop. Dermot Weld will pick his Derrinstown representative from Media Puzzle or the Leopardstown maiden winner Muakaad.
One of the more noteworthy aspects of the weekend Leopardstown entries is the absence of a Ballydoyle runner in the two-year-old maiden but O'Brien emphasised yesterday: "I wouldn't read anything into that."
In contrast, the Michael Tabor colours will be prominent in the opener at Tipperary tonight on the Danehill filly Little Firefly and she could provide an encouraging start to any first-time punters who might show up this evening.
The chances of that are real enough with there being free entry to the track, an initiative by the group of local business people who have taken over the running of the course from the Irish Horseracing Authority.
"Ensuring the track re-establishes its reputation as one of the best in the country," is their stated aim and while the seven-race, mixed card is hardly mind blowing, it does provide a number of interesting puzzles.
The booking of Michael Kinane for Kudrow in the nine-furlong handicap will attract those with just a passing interest in the game and they can be proved right.
The champion jockey has ridden regularly in the past for a lot of the trainers represented in the race but he has elected to ride Jim Gorman's filly Kudrow and the tip should be taken. Gorman and Kinane have struck before and the forecast of good to firm ground should make all the difference to Kudrow who showed bits of ability in three starts on the soft last year.
Jim Bolger's Traditional has 5lb extra in the mile and a half handicap for easily scoring at Cork on Monday evening and will have his supporters but it could be worth taking a chance with the course winner Granuale who didn't run well behind Killultagh Storm over hurdles last time but is known to handle fast conditions and gets a useful 6lb from the probable favourite.
Dante's Battle's form on fast ground behind Go Roger Go at Galway last summer gives him the clear edge in the Beginners Chase and he should have come on from his run behind Mr Baxter Basics at Fairyhouse while the Navan flat winner, Scary Spice, is a speculative choice in the handicap hurdle.
