Winters respects opposition Michael Winters acknowledges his prolific mare Missunited faces her toughest task to date in the Hacketts Bookmakers Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh today. Winters does not expect the testing conditions at Irish Headquarters to trouble his charge, but feels she has plenty on her plate with 26 rivals lying in wait. "She's as fit as a flea and she's in great form. It's an ultra-competitive race but we're looking forward to it," said the trainer. "She has been winning her races well, but she hasn't had too many hard races yet. "Her races don't seem to have taken much out of her, but I think she'll have a much harder time on Sunday. "The ground will suit her though, and the race will probably tell us an awful lot." The Dot Love-trained mare Shadow Eile arrives in similarly impressive form, having won twice at the Galway Festival before completing a hat-trick at Bellewstown. Assistant trainer Ciaran Murphy said: "We didn't think she'd have as much weight as she's got but it's a positive Joseph O'Brien wanted to ride her all along in this race. "I think she'll handle the ground all right and she's up to carrying the weight, so we're hoping for a good run. "We're a small yard coming up against the the big boys and you always need a bit of luck in running, so fingers crossed. "She's entered over hurdles in Punchestown next week and she might go there after Sunday." Fast-improving three-year-old Seventh Sign aims to complete a four-timer in the ultra-competitive contest. The Pivotal colt did not shape with much promise for William Haggas in the early part of this season, but has thrived since joining Tommy Carmody. Although down the field on his debut for the trainer at Roscommon in July, he has since rattled up a hat-trick and connections are hopeful of further progress. Tim Jones, racing manager for owner Andrew Tinkler, said: "Tommy has done a great job with him since he's been in Ireland and hopefully he can make what is a fairly significant step up. "He looks like a horse who should be effective over these sort of distances, although it's never easy for three-year-olds in these types of races. "But he is a very progressive horse, it's a nice opportunity for him and being by Pivotal, you would hope he'll handle the ground better than most." James Lambe is concerned about the forecast testing conditions for his Cesarewitch candidate Sir Ector. The five-year-old won decisively on the level at Leopardstown on his penultimate start before bolting up over hurdles at Down Royal. "The trip will suit him but the ground isn't ideal. He's by Dynaformer and I'd definitely be happier if the ground was good or faster," said Lambe. "He seems in good form and I just hope he runs a nice race, I wouldn't go any further than that. "The ground is a worry and it's always a very competitive race." Gimli's Rock heads the weights for the two-mile contest, with Hidden Universe and Voleuse De Coeurs giving Dermot Weld a strong hand. Other interesting contenders include Highflying, Fosters Cross and Whatuthink.
