RacingLeopardstown will tomorrow say goodbye to one of its modern day stalwarts as the four-time Irish St Leger hero Vinie Roe makes his final start at the Irish track in the Ballyroan Stakes.
Dermot Weld's star stayer will always have a place in the record books thanks to his remarkable Leger record and Vinnie Roe could add to that even further next month before an intended career farewell in November's Melbourne Cup.
But Vinnie Roe's record at Leopardstown also bears the closest inspection. Eleven of his 26 career starts have been at the Dublin track and seven of them to date have been successful. They include back-to-back wins in the Ballyroan in 2002-03 and only the head he was beaten by Foreign Affairs last year prevents another remarkable winning streak.
Vinnie Roe actually won his first ever race here back in 2000 but a last appearance might not get the ideal result as the seven-year-old has to face a very smart three year old in Shalapour.
John Oxx's horse was third in the Irish Derby and is a general 5 to 1 second favourite for the Doncaster St Leger next month. In receipt of a whopping 18lb he will be hard to beat especially since tomorrow's race is very much a Curragh Leger warm up for Vinnie Roe.
Oxx and Michael Kinane will also fancy their chances in the Group Three Desmond Stakes. Caradak has looked a horse with a big future this summer, following up a Curragh Listed win with a fine Minstrel Stakes success over seven furlongs last time.
That has resulted in Caradak getting an official rating of 115 but that doesn't look his limit and the combination of quick ground and a mile tomorrow looks ideal.
Kieren Fallon is scheduled to make it back from Chicago in time to ride Aidan O'Brien's newcomer Chief Running Bear in the maiden. As a half-brother to the top American horse Marquetry, the colt should get further in time than this six furlongs but is still one to check out.
King Of Tory was an expensive failure for punters at the Galway festival but he looked to hang all the way down the hill and on this left-handed course he could be worth one more chance in the seven-furlong handicap.
The Premier Handicap hope Bective Ranger is a course and distance winner who lost all chance of McDonogh glory at Galway with a bad draw while another to look out for in the nine-furlong handicap could be Karramulu who finished well behind Golden Grimshaw at the Curragh last weekend.
Ruby Walsh looks a jockey to follow at Tramore tomorrow but on the flat where Thursday's course winner Fayr Star can follow up and Mountain Snow can defy topweight in the two-mile handicap.
The best bet, however, could be the novice Seaforde in the conditions chase now that Conor O'Dwyer's mount moves up in trip.
