An important weekend for the Ballydoyle classic team starts at the Curragh, but the top prize can fall to a horse who is "stopping in" on route from Dubai to California.
Pine Dance has to give weight away all round in tomorrow's Castlemartin-La Louviere Gladness Stakes, but his trainer Dermot Weld reports him "fit and in very good shape". Pine Dance should be fit, considering he ran sixth to Festival Of Light in a $1 million Group Three in Dubai only a month ago and is all set to resume his travels to the United States, where he was an Arlington winner last year.
Aidan O'Brien says the unbeaten Perigee Moon is "doing everything nicely but he will improve for the run" in the Gladness, but there must be a doubt over whether he is forward enough.
O'Brien has unbeaten colt Black Minnaloushe in the Loughbrown Stakes. The son of Storm Cat takes on Lethal Agenda who has the advantage of proven fitness even if he was second last in the UAE Derby.
O'Brien said yesterday his Cheveley Park Stakes runner up Toroca would prefer fast ground in a bid to break her maiden but even on her first start of 2001 it is still hard to oppose a filly rated 111 in such company.
Another Curragh trainer who definitely does have his string well forward is Kevin Prendergast. His Private Ben was a 33 to 1 maiden winner on testing conditions at Fairyhouse last year and should get that type of ground again in the Madrid Handicap while Sandford Park can be Prendergast's second juvenile winner of the season in the opener.
Mick Kinane stays on board Montecastillo in the Lincolnshire after the four-year-old's encouraging warm up behind Baggio's Best at Leopardstown.
Weld's Beat The Heat is expected to be a much better three-year-old than juvenile but will need to be in the Hotel Keadeen Maiden while Agnetha's Leopardstown third to Master Papa looks good for the opener.
French Smile, should be OK on soft ground, considering he is by Indian Ridge while Ancelin looks booked for the last.
