It's not often a £50,000 handicap happens midweek, or a Derby for that matter, but the combination occurs at Down Royal today and Piranesi is selected to score for the season's top Derby rider John Murtagh.
True the Ulster Harp Derby cannot compare to Epsom or the Curragh and Piranesi is no Sinndar but this is still an extremely valuable pot that does provide an intriguing clash of the generations.
A total of five of the 14 runners are three-year-olds including Media Puzzle who ran seventh in the Curragh Derby and there is no accounting for the potential of the likes of the Ballydoyle entry Albuquerque.
That Barathea colt has had just the one run when behind Quality Team at Leopardstown but is on just 8st 1lb plus a claim here. Nevertheless it's worth betting that this will emerge as a battle of the seniors.
A very real candidate is the prolific filly Dolydille who bounced back to winning form with a very cosy win over Supreme Certainty at the Curragh last time.
Jim Bolger's runner won four last season but although Dolydille has placed form over a mile and a half, the furthest she has won over is 10 furlongs and that is a slight worry about today's race.
Grinkov won a thriller at Leopardstown at the weekend but may find one or two too good so the vote goes to Piranesi who is proven over the trip and looks a much improved operator as a four-year-old.
Piranesi indicated that when scoring under 9st 13lbs from Forrestfield and Creidim at Leopardstown on his first start of the season and was attempting a stiff task on his only other outing behind Royal Rebel and Enzeli in the Savel Beg.
On ratings, Piranesi has a stiff task against the likes of the 101 rated Media Puzzle and the aforementioned Albuquerque but he is a tried and tested operator who is sure to be trained to the minute by the shrewd Declan Gillespie.
There is also an Oaks for punters to get their teeth into, albeit a 0-90 Oaks but it's still an attractive enough pot for Livadiya who trotted up at Tramore over nine furlongs when odds on last time and can give Eddie Ahern a good Oaks spin four days before getting on Preseli's back.
Murtagh's mount in the 10-furlong maiden, Dark Veil, had an unhappy experience at Cork when withdrawn but is hard to get away from as a likely winner today. Silver Spray, a brother of the decent Silverware, should now be at a stage where he can take the seven-furlong handicap.
