Port Bayou to compensate for narrow Curragh defeat

Leopardstown and Clonmel join forces tomorrow afternoon to ring down the curtain on the 1998 Irish Flat race season. Dermot Weld, who had modest aspirations at the start of the year and has surprised himself by his success, including six Irish Group Races, should lift one of the two Leopardstown Listed races.

He always takes a good type of maiden to Galway and Port Bayou, who won at the September meeting then came within a head of crediting him with a seventh Group race, the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes, which went to Festival Hall.

It was noteworthy at both Galway and the Curragh that his rider took him wide and similar tactics should be no bar in the Davenport Hotel Eyrefield Stakes.

A more remunerative nap choice could be Generosa in the O'Callaghan Hotels Leopardstown November. She was backed to joint favouritism in the Ascot Stakes but almost lost her footing a mile from home and Michael Kinane could never get her back into the race.

She carries 10lb less in this handicap than she did at the Royal meeting and after two runs, a winning start on the flat at Listowel and a second over hurdles at Gowran Park, John Hassett should have her fully tuned up.

Kevin Prendergast is another who has had a good year with earnings in excess of £300,000 and his prime money-winner Hasanat upset a major English gamble on Pasternak by a shorthead in the Golden Pages Handicap here in July.

Hamdan Al Maktoum's filly will be ridden by John Egan in the Alexander Hotel Knockaire Stakes and is preferred to another big summer handicap winner, Free To Speak.

Another of Prendergast's runners that is worth noting is Taisho in the Mont Clare Hotel Premier Nursery. While her only success was achieved over seven furlongs, she showed that she also had smart speed when, after losing ground at the start, she was still a close-up third to Cobourg Lodge in the six-furlongs Birdcatchers.

At Naas, where this is an all National Hunt programme today, the feature is the Tougher Oil Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle, where Fountain Page can prove to be the pick of Gareth Cotter's four rides at the meeting. He hit his peak this time last year and is weighted to reverse recent Gowran Park placings with Lisa's Storm.

Greenflag Princess, the recipient of a particularly polished ride from Paul Carberry at Punchestown on Sunday, should come out best in the Paddy Cox Handicap Chase.

JP McManus has already found a smart novice hurdler in Carvill's Hill and Joe Mac should add to his roster with a clearcut first jumping victory in the Weatherbys Ireland Maiden Hurdle. The best bet at Clonmel tomorrow is Palette. She was always competing in the best of novice hurdle company and finding the level of opposition above her. All things go back to square over fences, though, and she gets a good opportunity in the Cork Airport-sponsored Captain Christy Beginners Chase.