Pat’s mount has Pose to win

MAKING LIGHT will be fancied to give Dermot Weld a boost on the opening day of the 2018 flat season in Naas tomorrow.

The Moyglare-owned filly is closely matched with on course and distance form in the listed Garnet Stakes in October.

But, expected to strip fitter than her chief rival, Pat Smullen’s mount gets the vote in the Group 3 Lodge Park Stud Park Express Stakes, highlight of a seven-race card which also features the €100,000 Tote Irish Lincolnshire.

Winner of a Limerick maiden and the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown as a juvenile, Making Light, like many inmates of Rosewell, probably failed to reach her potential last season.

But the daughter of Tamayuz still achieved plenty, ending the season with victory, thanks to the Leopardstown Stewards, in the listed Knockaire Stakes. She was pipped by Larchmont Lad but was awarded the spoils in the room.

Earlier, she had been pipped on the post by Elegant Pose in the Garnet here, having earlier had her Ger Lyons-trained rival behind in third when narrowly beaten by Alluringly in the Hurry Harriet at Gowran Park.

Elegant Pose is officially rated 1lb superior to the filly. But my hunch is that the Weld filly might strip fitter than her rival tomorrow, enough to give her the edge.

The 20-runner Lincoln, which includes 2015 winner

looks virtually impossible to solve. And I suggest a small each-way investment on

having his second start for Adrian Mcguinness.

This seven-year-old has only three wins to his credit, the most recent of them at Leopardstown in April 2015.

But he boasts a notable record in the Irish Lincoln – he has filled the runnerup berth in the race for the last three years, behind Onenightidreamed, Sruthan and Brendan Brackan respectively, when trained by Paul Deegan.

Aussie caught the eye on his first run for Mcguinness in Dundalk last month, behind one of tomorrow’s rivals

which stole a big lead and was never threatened, with subsequent winner Jon Ess second.

That run should leave Aussie Valentine in good nick. And, in a wide-open renewal, he should figure prominently, again.

On the supporting card, Adrian Keatley’s

a promising third behind Gobi Desert and Kentucky Derbybound Threeandfourpence on his debut at the Curragh before bolting up in a mile maiden at this venue, might defy top-weight, off a mark of 91, in the Woodlands 100 Club Madrid 3-Y-0 Handicap.

And Aidan O’brien’s charge and Full

are no more than tentative choices in the maidens on the card.