FOR those with horses needing a cut in the ground, it’s been a very long summer and will be a busy autumn as they bid to make the most of opportunities, now that the weather has turned.

The rain has come in time for Faiyum as she bids to win back-to-back runnings of the Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades Stud Fillies Stakes, the feature race at Gowran Park at 3.50 today, where the ground is currently described as yielding. Ger Lyons’ filly was never headed in the Group 3 12 months ago, when she skipped seven lengths clear on ground described as heavy.

“The more rain that falls, the better,” Lyons told The Irish Field. “She grows a leg on soft ground, so the heavier it is, the happier I’ll be. She’s been protected all summer, with a wet autumn in mind. So, the rain that’s falling at the minute is music to my ears, and as I said, whatever you’ve seen on nice ground, you’ll see better on soft to heavy.”

Faiyum returned in early April to finish third in the Park Express Stakes and a month later, finished fourth over today’s course and distance in the Victor McCalmont Stakes, won by a reopposing rival in Sindria. The ground on that occasion was good to yielding, as it was at the Curragh three weeks ago, when Faiyum claimed runner-up honours in the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes.

When asked if Juddmonte’s home-bred daughter of Frankel will take a step forward from that effort, Lyons replied: “I never backed off her at all because I just don’t trust the Irish weather forecasters. She’s fit and well, and the only reason we gave her that run a few weeks ago was to take the freshness off her for here. This was always the game.”

Punters will be wise to watch Lyons’ representative in the parade ring before the off, the trainer added: “If you see her going around bucking and kicking in the parade ring, that’s who she is. I think when she’s let me down, she actually walked around like a lamb.

“This is her time of year, and I think from here on in, we’ll be throwing her in the deep end, because I doubt she’ll be in training next year.”

Rivalry renewed

Lyons comes to Gowran Park in fine form, having enjoyed an opening race double at the Irish Champions Festival, where Joseph O’Brien added three winners to his terrific season. He accounts for two of 12 declared in the feature, including Faiyum’s previous rival Sindria.

“Sindria has been progressive and is a course-and-distance winner; she’s done nothing wrong this year,” O’Brien told The Irish Field.

Since her stakes success at the track in May, the 65,000gns horse-in-training buy has placed in another listed contest and at Group 3 level. On whether the Kodiac filly might appreciate the softer ground this weekend, her trainer said: “She certainly handled softer conditions, so they definitely won’t inconvenience her chance anyway.”

The ground is more of a concern for O’Brien’s shorter-priced contender, Star Performer, as Declan McDonogh’s mount bids to extend her unbeaten record to three.

“We wouldn’t want too much rain for her, but again, she’s progressive and is doing everything right so far this season,” he said.

Like Faiyum and Sindria, Star Performer’s stakes win came over course and distance, when the Sea The Stars filly followed up her debut win in a Curragh maiden by drawing four and a half lengths clear in the Hurry Harriet Stakes in mid-August.

Classiest, who finished third that day, reopposes here, while Noel Meade’s multiple group-placed three-year-old Caught U Sleeping holds a leading chance as she drops back in trip, wearing first-time cheekpieces.