Guineas duo to meet at Royal Ascot

Aidan O'Brien has decided to let Minardi have another crack at his Irish 2,000 Guineaswinning stable companion, Black Minnaloushe, in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes.

The final composition of the Ballydoyle team for Royal Ascot has yet to be finalised but a stable spokesman yesterday evening indicated some other definite starters.

Ishiguru will join the Ballyogan winner, Dietrich, in the King's Stand Stakes, while on Wednesday, Mozart will go in the Jersey Stakes along with Sophisticat (Queen Mary Stakes) and Monarchoftheglen (Chesham Stakes).

On Thursday, Juniper will be the O'Brien runner in the Cork & Orrery and on Friday, the Cork winner, Hans Anderson, will challenge for the King Edward VII.

As expected, the trio of fillies, Rose Gypsy, Sequoah and Toroca, will mount a strong challenge for the Coronation Stakes, which will be another headache pick for jockey Michael Kinane.

The former champion elected to ride Minardi in the Irish Guineas but the spokesperson said yesterday: "It is too early to decide on jockey plans yet." The country's top three stables can be on the scoreboard this evening at Navan, which shares billing with Wexford.

Dermot Weld's Ascot hopes will centre on the Gold Cup hope, Media Puzzle, and the sprinter, Final Exam, who holds a King's Stand entry. French Smile may not be up to that class, but rain could turn the ground to the Indian Ridge colt's liking and his Naas defeat of Okey Dorey reads good enough in the context of the mile conditions race.

The O'Brien runner Line Rider is hard to oppose in the second juvenile contest, while John Oxx, who is aiming at the Ribblesdale with Sahara Slew, could have the key to the mile maiden with the Nashwan filly, Dafariyna.

At Wexford, the former Derby Trial winner, Risk Mate- rial, should be up to beating the track winner, Izmir, and land his second hurdles start in a week, but a more rewarding price for punters could be provided by Peace In Ireland in the mile and five handicap.

Stephen Craine's mount was a maiden winner at Gowran last season and is now 11lb lower in the ratings compared to his last flat start.