Ease in the ground to suit An Saighdiur Joseph O'Brien teams up with An Saighdiur for only the second time as the pair tackle the Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh. O'Brien rode Andrew Slattery's charge to finish ninth in a Doncaster handicap last October and again sides with the seven-year-old in this Group Three heat. An Saighdiur was a Listed winner at Cork in April and went on to finish a fine third behind Slade Power over this six furlongs in May. However, he had failed to sparkle over five furlongs at Naas in between and again disappointed over the minimum trip when last in another Listed race at Cork in June. Slattery said: "I knew the way he was going to run before the race last time - five furlongs on fast ground isn't his thing. He prefers six furlongs on easy ground, that's better for him. "He ran a great race behind Slade Power, but if you look at his Naas run before that, he had run a very similar kind of race. "His run behind Slade Power was good and barring Maarek, this doesn't look to be quite as good a Group Three as that one. "Joseph was keen to ride him here, so that is good, and the trip and track should suit him. "We're looking towards the Ayr Gold Cup with him and Billy Lee, who rode him at the Curragh, said we should look towards the big sprint at Ascot in October. "He's had a break now and he's fit and well for this." Last year's Prix de l'Abbaye hero Maarek leads the opposition.
