Murtagh set to ride Landseer at Ascot

John Murtagh feasted off Michael Kinane's leftovers at Epsom and is again poised to step in for some prized rides at Royal Ascot.

It was confirmed yesterday that Murtagh will ride the colt that Kinane chooses not to ride in Tuesday's St James's Palace Stakes.

That is likely to be the French 2,000 Guineas hero Landseer instead of the English and Irish Guineas winner Rock Of Gibraltar.

The powerful Ballydoyle stable could be doubly represented in a number of other races, however, including the Group One Cornonation Stakes where Sophisticat and Alstemeria are intended starters.

"John Murtagh has been booked for the St James's Palace but Mick has not made up his mind which horse he is going to ride yet," Aidan O'Brien said yesterday.

"If John is available we could well use him in a number of other races as well, but nothing has been decide yet."

The Ballydoyle trainer also confirmed that the Dewhurst third, Tendulkar, will not be going to Ascot for the Jersey Stakes.

"He will not be running at Ascot. He bruised a seasomoid and he is still on a break," O'Brien added.

There will be a substanital challenge at the Royal meeting from other Irish trainers including John Oxx who plans to run Zafaraniya in the Ribblesdale Stakes.

The Curragh trainer also has Ancestor for the two-mile Queens Vase which will feature Galileo's brother Black Sam Bellamy from Ballydoyle.

Ascot's clerk of the course, Nick Cheyne, reports the ground at the track is still on the soft side ahead of next week's meeting. The Berkshire course has, like the rest of Britain, been suffering from an unsettled patch of weather of late and some lengthy showers have seen the surface become more testing.

But Cheyne says conditions are improving ahead of the opening day and he is hopeful the ground will be faster by Tuesday.

This afternoon's scheduled fixture for Navan was called off yesterday morning after heavy overnight rain left the Co Meath track unraceable.

The steeplechases for tomorrow's Roscommon card have long since gone the same way but no problems are expected for the fixture going ahead.

The safety limit for the flat races will be 12 and 14 for the jump races and there will be a large number of TV's scattered around the track for those early birds interested in the World Cup football.

Once that is out of the way, the seven-furlong maiden will be the first contest for punters to get stuck into and although Bev Who is the ratings favourite, on the ground, maybe Minaun Heights, who ran on Wednesday, could be a value alternative.

The Oxx yard should be on the mark with the Leopardstown third Kassna and Grianan Realta looks the pick in the seven-furlong handicap.