Freud can psych out the opposition for O'Brien

Rarely in any Group One race can the battlelines have been so clearly drawn as they are for tomorrow's Independent Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes.

In one corner waits the five-strong Aidan O'Brien team, led by Freud; in the other are the five horses sent from Britain, including the Group race-proven pair of Superstar Leo and Dora Carring ton. And in the middle, almost like a plucky Poland assailed on all sides, is the Con Collins-trained filly Longueville Legend.

The late Paul Kellaway memorably once spoke of feeling like Custer when the colossal Newmarket yards ventured their horses out to work. Collins probably understands how he feels. Except this time it's in deadly Group One seriousness.

A Longueville Legend victory would be the fairytale outcome, but in the first Group One of the European season, fairytales rarely happen. In the last couple of years all that has happened is confirmation of O'Brien's juvenile strength.

Today is his strongest Heinz assault yet, numerically, as he tries to follow up the successes of Fasliyev and Lavery. But unlike 12 months ago, he now has to cope with a significant cross-sea challenge.

The Norfolk Stakes winner Superstar Leo comes here on the back of an impressive win in the valuable Weatherbys race at Newbury, but her trainer, Willie Haggas, was yesterday concerned about her number one draw with the stalls on the Foxrock side.

"She's in great form, but I gather we've got the coffin draw," he said. "Aidan O'Brien's got five, there's Dora Carrington, there are plenty of dangers, but there should be. It's a Group One race."

However, Haggas' concerns with the draw may not be as significant as he fears. Next door to Superstar Leo in stall two will be Freud, and Mick Kinane's presence on his back suggests he is the leading O'Brien hope. Even Dora Carrington is in stall six, while Pirate Of Penzance is in five. The speed definitely looks to be on the stand side.

Dora Carrington comes here unbeaten and "100 per cent and in great form", according to her trainer, Peter Harris. The form of her Cherry Hinton success was boosted by Enthused at Ascot, but the majority view of those who watched the Cherry Hinton was that Enthused was rather an unlucky loser. Nevertheless she has a clear chance of securing a fourth Heinz success for Pat Eddery.

But the most interesting and fascinating runner in the race must be Freud, the flash half-brother to Giant's Causeway, whose burning of the Ballydoyle gallops led him to start at 1 to 5 on his sole start and get beaten half a length by Blixen.

His connections were dumbfounded by the defeat, but O'Brien was adamant the colt would improve radically for the race and, like his gallant brother, it could just be that Freud will be much more effective when allowed to gallop rather than being held up.

It would also be unwise to ignore Freud's stable-mate Pirate Of Penzance. Over the course and distance he hammered Pan Jammer on his debut and will have learned from a subsequent defeat by the same horse at the Curragh. Nevertheless, Freud gets the vote to prove his home reputation.

The other Group race is the Phoenix Sprint, where Eastern Purple gets the nod to improve upon his third in the race last year behind Gorse. The South Africa-born, multi-Hong Kong champion Basil Marcus takes the ride again following Eastern Purple's agonising defeat behind Cassandra Go in the King George V at Goodwood.

Nothing was finishing faster in the Goodwood race than Eastern Purple, who can take advantage of the extra furlong and beat the apparent main home hope, the 115 rated One Won One. The Listed Ballyroan Stakes is notable for the reappearance of the only horse to beat Sinndar. Grand Finale performed the feat in the Ballysax in April and although absent since, that formline, even with the weight allowance, is impossible to ignore.