2.10 Look De Vega At Ballylinch Stud Fillies Maiden 1m

Joey Sheridan rode five winners in the space of six days for Joseph O’Brien coming into this weekend, including three maiden winners, and Thundering On can keep this red-hot run going for the combination - if she’s ready enough to deliver on her return from 173 days off. Exquisitely bred as a daughter of Frankel and the stable’s Group 1 winner Thundering Nights, she caught the eye when fourth on her Curragh debut before runner-up in a Group 3 late in the season at the same venue. She’s got no trouble operating on slow ground and looks a maiden winner waiting to happen.

A rating of 106 for Skydance is a very strong standard for a fillies’ maiden, however, and Willie McCreery’s twice group-placed daughter of Night Of Thunder has an experience edge over the selection too. She’s got a 210-day layoff to overcome. Irish Oaks entrant Elmakaya is a newcomer to watch in the market for Dermot Weld.

SELECTION: THUNDERING ON

Next best: Skydance

2.45 Sunday 10th May Leopardstown Family Day Handicap 1m

It’s obviously not ideal to be lining up off a 256-day absence at a premier track like this, but if Cleopatra’s Needle is forward enough, she’ll be a big player off a flat mark of 48 - considering she’s now up to 110 over hurdles. She won well at the Galway Festival when last seen and has finished second around this place before.

Alto Sax showed his wellbeing with a win at Dundalk last time and a wide draw in stall 19 mightn’t be the end of the world given how he was ridden then. Miss Americana is similarly drawn in 18 and caught the eye flashing home for second at Gowran on Thursday. Running her back quickly before any rise kicks in looks a good move, if none the worse for that mid-week effort. Launch Time has cheekpieces added for the first time and that could be a smart move based on some of his showings.

SELECTION: CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE

Next best: Miss Americana

3.20 Leopardstown Members Handicap 1m

A really tricky affair to solve. Va Va Vroom looked a good buy at 15,500gns in last year’s Tattersalls July Sale and she’s now back to the scene of her smart maiden win at two. She didn’t catch fire in her first three runs last term but she has her sights lowered considerably now and is 10lb lower than two starts ago. She’ll need some luck from stall 17, though the booking of 7lb claimer Reese Holohan is a further positive for her claims.

Irish Lincoln third Syzygy is clearly a big player if all the rain arrives, Fixation signed off in good form on the all-weather when last seen and Walhaan loves it around here - especially when getting to run in this handicap bracket. He shouldn’t be getting any better at the age of 10 and could have done with a lower draw, but he could outrun his odds under Nicola Burns.

SELECTION: VA VA VROOM

Next best: Walhaan

3.55 Ballylinch Stud Red Rocks Stakes (Group 3) 7f

The fillies’ trial later on this card can be tough to predict for punters, but three of the last four winners of the colts’ equivalent were sent off favourite, and the other was won by the Ballydoyle first string. Power Blue has his stamina to prove at seven furlongs, but the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner over six furlongs had been spoken about as being better over further by jockey David Egan last season and this will be a nice acid test for him. He has to concede 3lb to his rivals and is drawn widest of all but he brings a high level of form to the table and the same connections’ Arizona Blaze was only beaten a length in third here last year (a non-stayer and time proved he was much more of a sprinting type).

Ryan Moore’s preference for Flushing Meadows, absent since last July, is striking given stablemate Dorset has course-winning Group 3 form on easy ground and is officially rated 3lb higher. Once-raced maiden winner Trojan Warrior falls into a ‘could be anything’ category for Ballydoyle. The Publican’s Son tries seven furlongs for the first time and is best not judged too harshly when thrown in at the deep end in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes last time, especially after a messy start. After showing such promise on debut, he’s worth factoring into calculations again now.

SELECTION: POWER BLUE

Next best: The Publican’s Son

4.25 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle Stakes (Group 3) 7f

There have been some high-class fillies at short enough odds beaten in this race of late, and the top-rated contender in this year’s renewal, True Love, being drawn widest of all in stall 15 for her first try beyond six furlongs isn’t exactly what her supporters would like to see. She can afford to run below her mark of 115 and still win, but, when factoring in that she’s back from a break too and racing on slower ground than has looked her best, she might be short enough relative to the challenge at hand.

Black Caviar Gold will have no issue with conditions based on what she showed towards the back end of last season, winning back-to-back starts at Cork and the Curragh on soft ground. Paddy Twomey’s Group 3 winner is also proven over the trip. The likes of Magny Cours, Pivotal Attack, Suzie Songs and Composing have smart group-race form to consider, while it wouldn’t be a shock to see Killashee Warrior run a big race despite having plenty to find on ratings.

SELECTION: BLACK CAVIAR GOLD

Next best: True Love

4.55 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes (Group 3) 1m 2f

After an autumn that saw him get better with every start and propel himself into favouritism for the Derby at Epsom, Pierre Bonnard is fancied to follow in the footsteps of stablemate Delacroix by starting his campaign with a victory. The Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner is ground-versatile and is heading down a tried-and-tested path to the classics.

He had A Boy Named Susie two lengths behind in France last time and the same rival could well be on the place premises again now. Despite not having any blacktype experience, James J Braddock isn’t one to sleep on. He created a big impression on deep ground at the Curragh on the final day of the season and is clearly open to further progress. Christmas Day has form that ties in with A Boy Named Susie too from his win in the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes around here in October and has the assistance of Wayne Lordan.

SELECTION: PIERRE BONNARD

Next best: James J Braddock

5.25 Tony Harmon Services Handicap 1m 2f

Aidan O’Brien has won this race in five of the last nine years with nicely handicapped three-year-olds, so top-weight Cape Cod is of obvious interest for the same team again now. He signed off his season with a win at Naas in October and getting up to 10 furlongs for the first time looks bound to help bring out the best in him.

Stable companion Extravagant wasn’t at his best on slow ground at Listowel when last seen. While he’s probably capable of winning a race off his mark of 85 with normal improvement at three, Ryan Moore has been aboard the stable’s last four winners of this race and he prefers Cape Cod. Joseph O’Brien’s lowly-weighted duo, So Must I and Another Day Done, are race-fit from Dundalk campaigns, while Marjorie Daw is totally unexposed after a Gowran maiden win on her second and latest start in October.

Noel Meade’s Madbadanddangerous was a good third in a valuable sales race when last seen in the autumn. If he handles this longer trip, he’s one to take seriously under Oisin Murphy.

SELECTION: CAPE COD

Next best: Madbadanddangerous