TICS BOXES

Aidan’s grey has credentials to conquer Calyx

THE Aidan O’brien-trained The Antarctic should boost his Royal Ascot credentials by landing the four-runner Coolmore Stud Calyx 2-Y-0 Race in Naas tomorrow.

The card, advertised as a Royal Ascot Trials Day, features two Group 3 and two listed events.

And, although the opener doesn’t boast stakes status,

The Antarctic is expected to prove a Sunday star.

The Antarctic made a winning start to his career when outpointing Donnacha O’brien’s Wodao at Tipperary last month when coping better than expected with the soft to heavy conditions.

The grey displayed a good attitude in the closing stages to score by a half-length and should confirm form with the runner-up here, although meeting his rival on 3lb worse terms.

A drier surface, plus the Tipperary experience (Wodao had previously run with promise in a hot Curragh maiden) should give Ryan Moore’s mount the edge.

With the Ballydoyle juveniles in such sparkling form, the strongly-built No Nay Never filly Meditate should take plenty of beating in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint.

This filly impressed when powering clear on her Curragh debut to beat Drunk In Love by more than three lengths.

She was professional on debut, but should step forward and sets a decent standard.

Chief threat might be Kieran Cotter’s Matilda Picotte, a convincing all-the-way scorer on debut at the Curragh, form boosted when the runner-up Comhra (re-opposes tomorrow) bolted-up over a longer trip at Roscommon on Monday.

Pick of the listed action is the

Sole Power Sprint Stakes which affords the Ger Lyons (inset) trained Geocentric, a listed winner at Dundalk last autumn, a good opportunity to upstage her older rivals.

This speedy three-year-old ran a cracker in the Woodlands over this course and distance last month, when collared late by Group 1 mare Romantic Proposal, with Group 2 winner Mooneista in third.

CHIEF THREAT Matilda Picotte can challenge Meditate in tomorrow’s Naas Group 3 Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint