Godolphin's trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who since 1995 has saddled the winner of all five English Classics at least once, has in the same period notched just one Irish Classic, last year's St Leger with Kayf Tara.
Evidence of his determination to start filling the gaps came with the announcement that all going well Island Sands will bid for the Guineas double at the Curragh on Saturday May 22nd.
This colt, who was bred by Mrs T V Ryan at Kilcoran House, Cahir, Co Tipperary from one of her half dozen brood mares, defended a three-race unbeaten record at Newmarket on Saturday.
If, however, he is to compete for the first running of the Entenmann sponsorship, Godolphin will have to expend £25,000 to cover the cost of a supplementary entry fee.
With a five-furlong handicap and a six-furlong maiden there is no possibility that today's Naas card will uncover a potential rival for Island Sands. Jamie Spencer had a rough passage on Fear and Greed in Sunday's I,000 Guineas but he could have a more comfortable ride aboard Kristabelle in the Ragusa Handicap.
Tom Lacy's home-bred filly reverts to five furlongs and this was the distance over which she defeated Timote by two lengths at the Curragh in October.
She is worthy of the nap and that this is a solid line of form could be further shown in the Wardley Dell Maiden by Deemar, who on her Navan debut ran Timote to three lengths.
It is nice to races named after champions of yester-year, but Prince Regent, the outstanding steeplechaser in Ireland through the war years, would be more suitably tied on to the bumper than the maiden hurdle. After all, he was ridden by his trainer Tom Dreaper to record his first career win in a Naas bumper.
Killaloe, who runs in the maiden hurdle, pleasantly surprised all connected with him when he took second place to River Rhyme at Navan. But for pecking at the final jump, he would have posted a better challenge, and all this from an authentic long-shot who paid 85 to 1 for a place on the Tote .
Ruby Walsh, who holds an uncatchable lead in the 1998/99 National Hunt jockeys' championship, is still hoisting winners with commendable regularity and Clady Boy in the beginners' chase looks the better of his two rides today. His mount got to the front at the last but was caught on the line by Hardiman.
On her hurdle and flat form Try For Ever is a serious danger but her name is not entirely accurate as she showed when refusing to race in last year's Irish Cesarewitch.
