O'Brien eyes hat-trick

NEWS ROUND-UP: AIDAN O'BRIEN is responsible for five of the 14 horses left in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks following the confirmation stage.

The Ballydoyle trainer had to rule Moonstone out of Thursday's York Group One after the Irish Oaks heroine suffered a setback, but he still has a strong presence as he seeks a third successive win in the race after Alexandrova (2006) and Peeing Fawn (2007).

His quintet is headed by Ice Queen, who was only beaten a short head by Moonstone at the Curragh. Adored, Honoria, Sail and Sweet Sixteen are his other possibles.

Although the race took another blow yesterday with news that Vodafone Oaks-winner Look Here would be an absentee, there could still be plenty of quality on show.

Jim Bolger has confirmed Coronation Stakes scorer Lush Lashes. She won the Musidora Stakes at York in May and was an unlucky loser behind O'Brien's Halfway To Heaven in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.

Bolger will be keeping a keen eye on the weather before deciding whether she will take her chance. "Lush Lashes is very well and the ground is the key to whether she will run or not," said Bolger. "She won't run anywhere if it turns out to be soft ground, so we will have to see what the weather does."

Michael Stoute has already took this prize four times this decade and is represented by Allegretto and Promising Lead.

The former, fourth in the Ascot Gold Cup last time, is also in the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup over two miles on Wednesday.

"She's in both. I think we will have to wait and see what the ground is. A lot of people are in the same boat, waiting to see what the going is going to be like," said John Marsh, spokesman for owners the Cheveley Park Stud.

Promising Lead won at York earlier in the season before landing the Group One Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh in June.

The four-year-old is owned by Khalid Abdullah, whose colours could also be carried by the Henry Cecil-trained Passage Of Time, just a head behind Lush Lashes when third in the Nassau. "Both are on course for the race at the moment," said the owner's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe.

John Gosden can choose from Dar Re Mi and Michita, while Godolphin's Folk Opera, Peter Chapple-Hyam's Cape Amber and Icon Project from Brian Meehan's stable complete the acceptors.

Epsom Derby hero New Approach came through his latest workout with flying colours - with a final decision on his participation in the Juddmonte International likely to be made today.

The son of Galileo has not run since his Epsom triumph after soreness related to a muscle injury ruled him out of a double bid in the Irish Derby.

He is reportedly back on song, however, with trainer Jim Bolger set to talk to his owners before deciding whether he runs at York next Tuesday.

"He has worked today and it went very well and he seems in great form," said the Co Carlow handler. "There is no decision on whether he will run at York yet.

"I will be speaking to John Ferguson (bloodstock adviser to Sheikh Mohammed) tomorrow and we will make a decision then."

Monday's meeting at Roscommon is in doubt with the track currently unraceable. Turf Club officials inspected the course yesterday and found that three areas in particular are giving cause for concern. A decision has been taken to monitor the situation over the next 24 hours.

Barry Geraghty is to form a strong alliance with Nicky Henderson following the retirement of stable jockey Mick Fitzgerald earlier this month. Geraghty, who rode Henderson's Punjabi to win the ACCBank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in April, will commute on a regular basis from Ireland to ride a number of the Lambourn handler's major hopes.

"Following Mick's retirement, there is obviously a very big gap to fill," Henderson said. "As a result, Barry Geraghty is going to come over from Ireland a lot of the time and rather like Ruby (Walsh) does (with Paul Nicholls), he will have commitments on both sides."