News: Aidan O'Brien admitted yesterday to being unsure about whether his Curragh Derby hero Dylan Thomas will take part in Saturday's Baileys Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
O'Brien trains three of the nine horses that remain in the 10-furlong Group One feature after the latest forfeit stage but Andre Fabre has kept his options open for Hurricane Run by keeping the Arc and King George winner in the race.
Hurricane Run, also owned by John Magnier and Michael Tabor, is engaged in Sunday's Prix Foy at Longchamp as well but with the ground at Leopardstown currently described as "good," with more rain forecast over the next 48 hours, the French champion may yet be diverted to Dublin.
That could yet play havoc with O'Brien's chances of adding a fourth Champion Stakes victory to those of Giants Causeway (2000), High Chaparral (2003) and Oratorio last year.
Despite describing himself as being "very happy" with Dylan Thomas, O'Brien also said he was not certain about what running plans will ultimately emerge from the Coolmore Stud team headquarters.
"We will have to wait and see what happens with Hurricane Run," the champion trainer reported. "It will be up to the lads what they want to do and where we will go with Dylan Thomas who is in good form after his run at York. He is in the Prix Niel on Sunday as well but that is only a possible."
O'Brien did confirm Ace will definitely take his chance in the Champion Stakes and that Aussie Rules was left in after finishing fourth in Sunday's Prix Moulin in France.
Also engaged are both Ouija Board and Alexander Goldrun who served up a classic finish in the Nassau Stakes last month but the ante-post betting is still uncertain due to the lack of firm plans for the Coolmore team.
Cashmans quote Hurricane Run as an 11 to 10 favourite "with a run" to become just the fourth French-trained winner in the 30-year history of the race and believe that he and Dylan Thomas will not take each other on at Leopardstown.
"I think one, but not both, will take part. Hurricane Run is quoted with a run because he is French trained and only came into consideration last weekend," said the Cork firm's spokesman Joseph Burke. "I think they will sit down and talk to Fabre and Aidan on Thursday and see who is happy with their horse."
The other Group One race at Leopardstown at the weekend is the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes with eight of the 15 horses remaining being trained in the UK. They include the Cheveley Park Stud trio of Nannina, Echelon and Peeress while Race For The Stars is a likely starter for Ballydoyle.
O'Brien's third Group One target on Saturday will be the Ladbrokes St Leger at York, the world's oldest classic, which the Irish trainer has won three times already in the past. He has four of the 14 entries remaining but yesterday said that Puerto Rico has had a slight setback which could yet prevent him from running.
"He has a bit of a stone bruise which has caused him some trouble for the last few days. But the other three (Mountain, Tusculum and Fire And Rain) are all well. The four of them are all very possible runners if they are okay," he said before adding that running one of his three entries in the Group Two Champagne Stakes, Eagle Mountain, Chivalrous and Admiralofthefleet, will be dependent on the going.
The Leopardstown manager, Tom Burke, is hoping for good ground on Saturday but acknowledged the changeable weather forecasts make predictions difficult. "The forecast today is much better than it was on Sunday but that could change again. Now we are being told it could be dry from Wednesday onwards and if that's correct then I think we will be looking at good ground," he said.
In future race plans, Yeats is described as a "possible" for the Melbourne Cup in November after being handed topweight of 9st 4lbfor the race.
Paddy Power: 5-4 Hurricane Run, 100-30 Ouija Board, 4 Dylan Thomas & Alexander Goldrun, 12 Mustameet, 16 Aussie Rules, 20 Ace, 40 Rob Roy, 66 Lord Admiral.
Cashmans: 9-4 Ouija Board, 7-2 Dylan Thomas, 5 Alexander Goldrun, 9 Mustameet, 20 Ace, 33 Rob Roy, 66 Aussie Rules, 200 Lord Admiral, 11-10 "with a run" Hurricane Run.
