Hurricane hits Curragh again

RACING: The world's top racehorse, Hurricane Run, is set to follow in the illustrious footsteps of his sire, Montjeu, at the Curragh on Sunday and could yet be presented with a relatively simple task.

Last year's brilliant Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner was supplemented into the Tattersalls Gold Cup at yesterday's forfeit stage at a cost of €25,000 and his presence looks to have scared off some potential opposition with just five others left in the race.

They include the star filly Alexander Goldrun, whose trainer Jim Bolger has already indicated she is more likely to run in Saturday's Ridgewood Pearl Stakes, and the bad news yesterday was that ground conditions could yet rule out the Champion Stakes winner David Junior.

Brian Meehan stressed that testing conditions at the Curragh would force him to pull out David Junior, who won another Group One prize in Dubai in March, from a clash with Hurricane Run.

"I've been told they are hoping for more yielding ground by the end of the week but I think yielding would probably put us off running. It was slow ground in the Sussex Stakes last year and he didn't handle it at all. He's a horse who likes good, fast ground," said Meehan.

"Unless conditions are right he won't run even though one of the best days to take Hurricane Run on might be Sunday. That's the tempting part of it. It will be his first run of the season. But there are other options. Any Group One is tempting when you've got a genuine Group One horse."

Aidan O'Brien has also indicated he is unlikely to have a runner in the race, even though the consistent if luckless Ace remains among the entries, and the possibility of just Michael Stoute's Group Three winner Maraahel and the Charles O'Brien-trained Lord Admiral taking on the favourite remains open.

The Curragh enjoyed a mostly dry day yesterday although uncertainty remains about what state the going will be in for the Guineas weekend.

"It's very hard to predict and the forecasts are all different. They all say we will get rain but they differ on how much," said the track manager Paul Hensey. "If we get the least amount forecast I could see us being yielding on the round course and soft on the straight. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it walks but things could get better or they could get worse."

The ground is currently soft on the round course and heavy on the straight but that won't be any concern to Hurricane Run who returns to the scene of his first Group One triumph in last year's Irish Derby. However, it was a breathtaking performance on soft ground in the Arc that earned him an official rating of 130 which is still the highest for any horse racing anywhere in the world.

The Tattersalls is also the race that Montjeu began his four-year-old campaign in and his return to a mile and a quarter resulted in a memorable triumph over just four opponents six years ago at odds of 1 to 3.

Andre Fabre gave Hurricane Run a racecourse spin at Longchamp six days ago and said: "I was pleased. It was just a routine workout with one lead horse. He is laid back so we wanted to take him to the course."

A total of 22 fillies remain in the Boylesports Irish 1,000 Guineas and they include both Confidential Lady and Nasheej who filled the places behind Speciosa in the Newmarket Guineas earlier in the month.

There are five other cross-channel-trained entries for the race with the Khaled Abdullah filly Short Dance, an impressive winner at York last week, installed as a 7 to 2 joint favourite by the big race sponsors.

Queen Cleopatra, one of four Aidan O'Brien-trained entries, is the other joint-favourite with Boylesports and she is likely to be joined in the contest by both Race For The Stars and Kamarinskaya. The Ballydoyle trainer is aiming at a fourth success in the Classic.

Jim Bolger will choose from the trio of Modeeroch, Sandie and Abigail Pett as he goes in pursuit of a first success in an Irish Guineas.

Heliostatic and Yasoodd, both of whom are entries in Saturday's 2,000 Guineas, also figure among the 16 entries for the Group Three Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes, a race that also includes the highly-rated John Oxx-trained colt King In Waiting, who missed both the Ballysax and the Derrinstown Derby Trial due to training setbacks.

BETTING (Boylesports): 7-2 Queen Cleopatra and Short Dance, 9-2 Confidential Lady, 7 Nasheej, 10 Modeeroch, 12 Flashy Wings, Kamarinskaya, Race For The Stars and Ugo Fire, 14 bar.