Hit It A Bomb out to fire in Desmond Stakes

Long-absent Breeders' Cup hero Hit It A Bomb puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Invesco Pension Consultants Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown on Thursday evening.

The War Front colt won a Curragh maiden and a Listed prize at Dundalk before completing a hat-trick in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland in October.

Aidan O'Brien 's charge makes his belated three-year-old debut at Group Three level and faces seven opponents.

"He's in good form and is just ready to start," said O'Brien.

"It took a bit of time to get him back fit but he's in good order."

The master of Ballydoyle also saddles last year's winner Cougar Mountain and General Macarthur Tribal Beat trained by Jim Bolger, is another returning from a long absence.

The sole British representative in the field is Custom Cut who won this prize in 2014 for David O'Meara and has since won again at Leopardstown in last season's Boomerang Stakes.

He has yet to score this term, but has run well in defeat on his two most recent starts, in the Diomed at Epsom and the Summer Mile at Ascot.

Tracey Collins saddles all-weather specialist Captain Joy with Niall Moran's Dont Bother Me and the David Marnane-trained Elleval completing the line-up.