Marois to set the marker

THE Sussex Stakes result last week was another blow for the three-year-old generation with the favourite, Without Parole, and the Aidan O’Brien runner, the three-time Group 1-placed Gustav Klimt, not faring so well against the seven-year-old, Lightning Spear.

Strangely, the French were unable to win any of their two-year-old Group 1s last season, but with recent wins for the fillies With You and Polydream, they may well be able to uphold the younger horses’ honour - the Jacques le Marois tomorrow will be a decisive race in the season.

Curragh critics

HOW many people does it take to build a parade ring? Quite a few probably but you would think that one person should be able to design it and get it right to be the centrepiece of the racetrack from the very start.

It has two basic requirements. To be big enough inside to fit the maximum amount of horses that generally make up big handicaps at the course.

And, to be sited so as to allow those on the outside have sufficient visability to see all of those horses, their connections and top jockeys while they are parading in the “parade” ring.

From reports this year the Curragh is it’s possibly failing on both counts.

It will be a shame it all the good work and developments are diminished by failing on something that looks a basic requirement.

Racecourse ratings

THE old World’s Best Racecourse Rankings are sure to cause a few rumbles of disquiet and in the latest release Winx is still top (130) with Poet’s Word now only a pound below her and Cracksman four below the King George winner. Sprinter Battaash is on 125, with his Royal Ascot conqueror Blue Point on 120.

This year above all others, with so many top European horse entered for the Australian Group 1s, is setting up for us to see their relative merits decided on the track rather than by handicappers selecting the best, often in Dubai and not again repeated (Benbatl), run and rating a horse on that.

Enright grabs

his chance

WHEN you’re luck is in, it’s in. After possibly giving Clarcam and Mark Enright too much rein out in front in the Galway Plate when finishing second on Patricks Park, Ruby Walsh adopted those tactics on the bold jumping Listen Dear on Sunday.

Out front, he looked to have the race won turning-in. Who caught him - Mark Enright.