O’BRIEN’S SOVEREIGN GOLD HOPE

HUGELY impressive on his debut over course and distance last Saturday, Ten Sovereigns shouldn’t be opposed in today’s Group 3 John Sisk & Son Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh.

From the first crop of No Nay Never, this Aidan O’brien-trained colt raced prominently on his debut and, shaken up by Donnacha O’brien approaching the two-furlong pole, was soon in command.

He stretched clear in impressive style to slam Carbon Fibre by seven lengths in a 25 runner maiden and was immediately nominated as a candidate for the Group 1 Middle Park at Newmarket on September 29.

O’brien (right) admitted being keen to give Ten Sovereigns another run before stepping-up to Group 1 level. And he has found an ideal steppingstone here.

He should be very tough to beat, with Could Be King fourth to O’brien’s Anthony Van Dyck in the Futurity (Group 2) last week, likely to chase him home.

The Willie Mccreery-trained Mary Tudor sets the standard in the Group 3 Snow Fairy Stakes on her creditable third behind subsequent Yorkshire Oaks winner Sea Of Class and Investec Oaks heroine Forever Together in the Darley Irish Oaks.

Jim Bolger’s Bandiuc Eile, runner-up to Skitter Scatter in the Debutante (Group 2) last week, might outstay Ballydoyle filly Just Wonderful which has raced exclusively at six furlongs, in the Group 3 Flame Of Tara Stakes over a mile.

And, up just 4lb. for his narrow winner in the Nasrullah Handicap at Leopardstown and dropping back to a mile, O’brien’s Lucius Tiberius looks the one to beat in the Tote Irish Cambridgeshire.