Van Dyck will spearhead big weekend for O’Brien

ALL eyes will be on the Curragh with Irish Champion Trials Weekend set to provide some valuable clues for punters as the latter stages of the Irish Flat season approaches.

Tomorrow is a feast at the Kildare track with the Group Two Futurity Stakes (3.05) a breeding ground of future champions with subsequent English 2,000 Guineas winners Gleneagles and Churchill prevailing in recent years.

Aidan O’Brien (pictured) has dominated the €130,000 feature with four winning favourites in the last five renewals and Group Three Tyros Stakes winner ANTHONY VAN DYCK is likely to be warm order to prevail for the Ballydoyle maestro.

That Leopardstown victory was under hands and heels and it’ s hard to see any of the other five contenders stepping up enough to lower his colours, although stablemate and recent Listed winner Christmas is the most likely to do so.

The Group Two Debutante Stakes (2.35) has also been a Ballydoyle bonanza with O’Brien taking six of the last nine runnings and impressive Cork winner Zagitova (Ryan Moore) and Galway scorer Hermosa (Seamie Heffernan) the pick of his trio.

His monopoly may be broken, however, and Group Three Silver Flash Stakes winner SKITTER SCATTER looks the most likely to do so for Patrick Prendergast and Ronan Whelan. The daughter of Scat Daddy wasn’t slowing down at the line that day and can continue her upward curve.

The Group Three Royal Whip Stakes (3.40) is all about the return of Jim Bolger’s Verbal Dexterity. Always held in high regard by the Coolcullen supremo, the son of Vocalised hasn’t been seen since coming home fourth in the Racing Post Trophy last October.

A win may be out of the question given his lack of race fitness, but a promising run is expected. It may pay to side with Ken Condon’s SUCCESS DAYS, however, as she takes a decent step back in grade after chasing home Alpha Centauri in a Deauville Group One.

Today’s action is headed by the Group Three Irish St Leger Trial (3.25) where an argument could be made for any of the octet as O’Brien (four) and champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins (three) dominate the field.

Bolger will be looking to spoil the party with Godolphin’s Twilight Payment, but there’s no reason to suggest that the five-year-old can turn the tables on O’Brien’s Flag of Honour, which also had stablemate Giuseppe Garibaldi a length and a half behind in second when taking last month’s Curragh Cup.

He will prove a tough nut to crack but the value may be in another Ballydoyle contender. SOUTHERN FRANCE was far from disgraced when second behind Kew Gardens in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot and will provide stiff opposition in the hands of Heffernan.

O’Brien can also take the Listed Curragh Stakes (4.0) with the Royal Ascot second of GOSSAMER WINGS in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes easily the best form available.