Vinnie Roe and Pugin set to clash

The Curragh's Ballycullen Stakes on Saturday week is set to see a clash between the St Leger hopefuls Vinnie Roe and Pugin.

The Irish Derby fourth Pugin has had the Listed race as a target for some time but Dermot Weld yesterday confirmed the Ballycullen as Vinnie Roe's classic warm up instead of a proposed trip to Berlin for a Group 2.

"I am very pleased with the horse. He is in great form and we will decide what to do after he runs at the Curragh," Weld said.

Both the Rothmans St Leger at Doncaster and the Jefferson Smurfit Irish St Leger are run on September 15th and Pugin's trainer John Oxx is also holding fire on which Group 1 he will aim for.

Oxx and Weld also look likely to lead the home defence of Sunday's Group 2 Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh with Exaltation and Jammaal respectively.

John Murtagh is booked to ride the Barry Hills-trained Chancellor in today's Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano at Deauville and so will miss out on the chance to get off the 50 winner mark for the season in Ireland at Dundalk tonight.

That allows Niall McCullagh on to Crooked Wood for the seven furlong two-year-old maiden where yet again a clash with the Weld team is likely courtesy of the Ballinrobe fourth Quakemaker.

Charlie Swan travels north to team up with Pat Hughes for Sweet Brief in the novice hurdle and Rapid Deployment in the two mile handicap. On ratings, Sweet Brief is the top horse in the opener and if given the latitude in front he was shown at Galway, he will be very hard to catch.

Rapid Deployment needed a vintage Swan ride to win over flights at Galway but is only rated 3lb higher than when showing up well at the Curragh on Derby day and should be hard to beat now he is back on the level.

Fran Berry could be the jockey to follow at the Tramore festival wind-up. The Wexford hurdle winner Moonridge has topweight in the mile and six handicap but may not be stopped by that while Namibia can regain the winning thread in the fillies' handicap.

The resurgence of the Pat Flynn stable has been a feature of recent weeks, and the local handler was on the mark twice at a well-attended Tramore last evening.

Catch The Dragon set the ball rolling when deservedly opening his account over obstacles in the McDonald Bros. Maiden Hurdle. The well-supported 8 to 13 favourite headed Take A Drop approaching the final flight to score by a comfortable 11/2 lengths. Rainbow Realm, who suffered a dislocated hip late last year, scored at the festival meeting for the second year running with an equally easy victory in the Commercial Refrigeration Rated Race to bring up the double.

The 12 to 1 shot Native Of Kerry produced a game effort to capture the Alamo Restaurant Handicap Hurdle under Kieran Kelly. Anna Bellerio looked to have poached a decisive advantage entering the dip in the 2m 4f contest, but surrendered the lead on the uphill climb and was fully 10 lengths adrift at the line.

Paul Roche was another local man to get in on the act when Silent Native made a winning bow over fences in the O'Sheas Hotel Beginners' Chase.