LAGOSTOVEGAS - “Petingo” Handicap (Leopardstown)

Since joining Willie Mullins’s yard from David Harry Kelly, Lagostovegas has improved from a flat mark of 72 to 91 and from a hurdles mark of 124 to 136. As a five-year-old, she had plenty of scope to progress in any case but there is no doubt that the move to Mullins has given her a huge push forward.

Her latest run was in the Grade B At The Races Handicap Hurdle at Killarney, and she was really impressive, beating Galway winner and hat-trick-seeking Top Othe Ra.

Prior to that the daughter of Footstepsinthesand had run twice at the Galway Festival, finishing third in Monday’s feature race, the Connacht Hotel Handicap, off a mark of 89 and then third again in the Grade B Galway Shopping Centre Handicap Hurdle won by Ballyegan Hero, which was the feature race on the Saturday.

This will be her third start on the flat, and sixth start in all for Mullins and she still has scope to progress even further. Her trainer is having another excellent year on the flat, having scooped big handicap prizes with Thomas Hobson, Whiskey Sour and Riven Light, and he can land another one with Lagostovegas.

MOONLIGHT MAGIC - Irish Champion Stakes (Leopardstown)

The Irish Champion Stakes was one of the best races run in the world last season and it regularly is the race on the Irish flat racing calendar that has produced the most quality. However this year, the usual standard might just slip below what we have become accustomed to. Ulysses, the Juddmonte International winner, is set to swerve a trip to Dublin in preference for an Arc or Breeders’ Cup bid, last year’s winner Almanzor has been retired and Brametot, the French Derby and Guineas winner, disappointed on his comeback and is now very unlikely to come over.

In that case it’s not a great surprise that Churchill has gradually shortened and is now odds-on, in what is a very important race for the dual Guineas winner. Highland Reel is second in the betting with Eminent next. Previously, connections of the latter were looking only to the Arc but have now seemed to have done a U-turn to consider a trip to Leopardstown, most likely because of the depth of quality. Martyn Meade’s horse was impressive when making all to win at Deauville on his previous run and would be of interest at the 10/1 mark if he was a confirmed runner, however we can’t be sure of that at the time of writing.

Moonlight Magic has been to Leopardstown five times and won three times

We can be more sure Moonlight Magic will run, as Jim Bolger confirmed this was his target last week. With a rating of 112, the Godolphin horse needs to improve, but probably not as much as he would do in other renewals of this race and probably not as much if he was running at another track. Moonlight Magic has been to Leopardstown five times and won three times. He also finished sixth in this race last season, where notably, he finished ahead of Highland Reel. At around the 25/1 mark, he looks decent each-way value given the potential for Saturday’s race to cut up.

WUHEIDA - Matron or Blandford Stakes (Leopardstown/The Curragh)

Charlie Appleby’s Wuheida is due to make the trip over to Ireland this weekend but her target has yet to be decided as she has an option at Leopardstown and at the Curragh. She is an unexposed filly, having only run four times, and only twice this year. An injury forced her to miss the 1000 Guineas but her comeback run in the Falmouth Stakes was an excellent effort behind Roly Poly, who may well have had the run of things from the front. Wuheida was then sent to Dusseldorf for the German Oaks and she performed well to finish third on soft ground, even if that was a little disappointing considering she was made a warm favourite.

Better ground might be the key to her and she looks likely to get that this weekend. She has the option of the Matron Stakes, where she could take on Winter and Roly Poly again but it would be no surprise to see her over a longer trip in the 10-furlong Blandford Stakes. She is a Dubawi filly out of a Ribblesdale winner in Hibaayeb and so she is definitely worth another go over 10 furlongs at least. She will be having just her fifth start this season, her third start of her three-year-old campaign and just her second start over 10 furlongs so she has bundles of scope to improve.

AMEDEO MODIGLIANI - Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (The Curragh)

Gustav Klimt sets a fair standard in the National Stakes. He put in an impressive performance - met interference before staying on really well - to win the Group 2 Superlative Stakes on Newmarket’s July course on his previous run and that looks the best form in the race. Earlier he won his maiden at the Curragh in good style but the horse that finished third to him that day was stablemate Amedeo Modigliani, when he was making his racecourse debut. The son of Galileo wasn’t given a hard time by Padraig Beggy, and he ran green throughout the race, drifting out wide when asked to challenge before staying on really well to steal third on the line. He then went to Galway and won in the style of really smart colt - Seamie Heffernan exuded confidence on the turn in before allowing his horse to pick up and gallop away.

Amedeo Modigliani was seriously impressive winning his maiden at Galway

He was a 2/9 favourite that day and you can crab the form as there seemed to be little in the way of opposition but you can’t crab the time, which Simon Rowlands was purring about in his Time Will Tell column the week after (allotting a timefigure of 101). He is 14/1 for Sunday’s Group 1 race now and without declarations, it is probably worth holding fire. If he does run it will be a fair vote of confidence in his ability and it will be very interesting to see how he fares.

SEPTEMBER - Moyglare Stud Stakes (The Curragh)

September deserves another chance after her disappointing effort in the Debutante Stakes last time. It was interesting that in the lead up to that race, Ryan Moore, having initially decided to ride September, changed his mind and decided to ride Happily, which caused a stir in the market with both fillies vying for favouritism. Happily was an impressive Group 3 winner but given the way September won the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, she looked the straight choice on form.

Moore was vindicated somewhat as Happily finished in front of September, though not in front of another stablemate Magical, who won the race with Donnacha O’Brien. It seems at least a fair assumption now that the soft ground conditions came into Moore’s reckoning and if that is the case, September can do much better back on good ground.

Her performance to win the Chesham was serious. She picked up well and the further she went, the better she got, recording a very good time in the process. Nyaleti and most recently Masar, the second and third in that race, boosted the form with Group 3 wins on their next starts and all in all, it was a very good performance from September to win the way she did on just her second start. She may have to take on Magical and Happily again, and her other stablemate Clemmie, and Alpha Centauri in what looks like a brilliant race, but September is worth chancing to get back on track, providing she gets good ground.