Panama Hat© Photo Healy Racing
The Listed Lenebane Stakes has attracted a good competitive field with Jim Bolger again represented as he bids to win the mile-and-a-half Roscommon highlight for the third year in a row. Altesse does the honours for the Coolcullen team on this occasion and the consistent Hernando filly, assessed as 102-performer, is not without her chance under Kevin Manning.
The fairer sex is in the majority in the 11-strong line-up, and as well as Altesse, Toe The Line a course-winning daughter of Shantou, needs respecting.
On the figures though, they have a bit to do to match Panama Hat Andy Oliver's charge drops back having been predominantly tried in Group Three company lately.
The big chestnut, so progressive last year, is a winner at Roscommon already, and though he did not come up to the mark in the Curragh Cup just over a week back, he may now be helped by the addition of blinkers.
It's cheekpieces that we are used to seeing on Panama Hat, and indeed he wore a hood once before too. The hope now would be that the change can have the desired effect.
Another fascinating aspect to the feature is the presence of the three three-year-olds, two of which hail from Ballydoyle.
Queen's Vase sixth Bantry Bay would seem to be a major player, with Seamie Heffernan up, whilst the other two from the Classic generation are Cradle Mountain (Donnacha O'Brien) and Don Camillo (Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen).
The latter was last seen finishing seventh in a hot renewal of the Tercentenary Stakes at the Royal meeting, on his first start away from the Polytrack at Dundalk.
Smullen is on a very interesting type half an hour later for his old weighing-room friend Johnny Murtagh, as he takes the reins on The Last Marju
In the Simenon and Wicklow Brave ownership of Wicklow Bloodstock Ireland Limited, The Last Marju has prospects on his handicap bow. The three-year-old's market movements could be revealing on his first start since October.
