Footsteps ruled out of Irish 2,000 Footstepsinthesand will not bid for a classic double in the Boylesports Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday due to a ´minor setback´.The son of Giants Causeway sustained a stone bruise when landing the Newmarket equivalent over two weeks ago, and the Ballydoyle trainer is ´not prepared to risk him´.O´Brien will saddle four runners in the opening Irish classic of the season. Kieren Fallon switches onto Oratorio, a strong-finishing fourth at Newmarket, while Albert Hall, Showdance and Hills Of Aran complete the quartet. Seamus Heffernan, John Murtagh and Colm O´Donoghue are in line to ride the other three but arrangements have yet to be finalised.Cashmans have reacted by installing Oratorio as 6/4 favourite, followed by 7/4 Dubawi, 5/1 Rebel Rebel, 8/1 Democratic Deficit, 10/1 Albert Hall, 22 Bobs Pride, 33 Showdance, Hills Of Aran.David Wachman is looking to the skies as he ponders over whether to declare Damson for the Boylesports Irish 1,000 Guineas.The champion juvenile filly in Ireland last year having beaten the colts in the Phoenix Stakes, Damson missed her intended seasonal debut in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket after scoping badly on the run up to that classic.´She is coming on all the time, and the Irish 1,000 Guineas would be a good starting point for the year. I would like to run her as long as the ground is good or at worst on the soft side of good,´ said Wachman.Aidan O´Brien will be three handed in the fillies classic, with hot-favourite Virginia Waters accompanied by Mona Lisa and Queen Titi. Yeats will not run in the Tattersalls Gold Cup but instead O´Brien relies on Ace and Solskjaer.Alan Magee
