SKITTER Scatter will bid to provide another highlight moment on Longines Irish Champions Weekend (LICW) when she takes on the Coolmore Stud Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes next Saturday.

The daughter of Scat Daddy provided Patrick Prendergast and Ronan Whelan with a maiden Group 1 victory when she won the Moyglare Stud Stakes last year but has only been seen twice since.

She is now trained by John Oxx, following Prendergast’s move to join up with the Currabeg trainer at the start of the season, but tore a muscle on her debut for Oxx in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

That injury kept her off the track until Thursday last week when she made a pleasing comeback when a half-length second to Waitingfortheday in the Group 3 Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary.

Speaking this week, Oxx said: “It has been a frustrating campaign but with the nature of the injury she sustained at Newmarket, there was no way you could be rushing her back and we have had to be patient.

“We did plenty of work with her to get her ready for Tipperary and essentially she was just ready to start off. Given the background of her going into the race, we were very happy with her run and she’d have had a good blow.”

Moon forecast

Madhmoon was another who announced himself as a serious classic contender on LICW last year, when he posted an impressive display in the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.

Since then, Kevin Prendergast’s colt has had an up-and-down campaign but set himself up for a tilt at the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes with a win in the Group 3 Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown last month.

The €1.25 million Group 1 has long been mooted as the ideal target for the son of Dawn Approach and speaking this week, Prendergast said: “I couldn’t be happier with the shape he is in,” he said. “As for his ideal trip, with his form in the classics this year it would be hard to say but certainly ten furlongs won’t be a problem. It was good to see him drop back to a mile and show the pace to win over that trip. I don’t think tactics will matter next weekend either.”

Prendergast, 87, has never won the Irish Champion Stakes. Neither has Chris Hayes, who will ride the horse on Saturday week. Madhmoon is generally 6/1 with bookmakers for the race.