CERCENE’S Coronation Stakes triumph at Royal Ascot was one of the feel-good stories of the 2025 flat racing summer, so it would be only fitting if Joe Murphy’s star filly could cap the year with a victorious homecoming at the Irish Champions Festival today.

It won’t be straightforward for her in the Group 1 Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes (4.25); either in terms of the opposition or ground conditions. She must take on the Prix Rothschild 1-2 of Fallen Angel and January, while yesterday’s most recent going update for Leopardstown read soft, yielding to soft in places. Owner Shane Stafford’s talented three-year-old thrived on good to firm at the Royal Meeting.

Still, the gutsy Australia filly ran with plenty of credit when second to Whirl in dreadful conditions (officially heavy) in the Nassau Stakes when last seen, and only has 2lb to find with the top-rated performers here.

Murphy told The Irish Field: “I’m hoping it dries up for Cercene. I know the way it worked out at Goodwood on testing ground, but that might have been a bit of a freak thing and it’s hard to know how well any horse will handle that. We do know that the better the ground is, the better she’ll run.

“She deserves to be in the race; she’s had a first, second and third from three runs in Group 1s. We’re coming back to a mile [from a mile and a quarter] and I’m not afraid of that. I just hope they go a good pace because that will suit. After that, it’s a case of first-up-best-dressed and hope for the best.”

Asked whether Cercene is showing the signs of being in the same form as when heading to Royal Ascot, Murphy added: “I haven’t gone trying to find out. At the end of the year, you throw caution to the wind slightly because if you try to find out too much you’ll leave your race at home. Experience teaches you that. If she’s good enough, she’s good enough. I think I have her mentally in the right place, though.”

Another of the star fillies set to be on show this weekend, the Karl Burke-trained Venetian Sun, is also at the centre of a weather watch scenario for connections ahead of Sunday’s Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes (2.40).

The unbeaten Prix Morny heroine has been ante-post favourite for her first try at seven furlongs, though she has raced exclusively on good or good to firm so far in her career.

Here comes the Sun?

According to the latest ground update from the Curragh on Friday, conditions are good to yielding, yielding in places on the round course and yielding on the straight track. The forecast remains unsettled with the possibility of 10mm-15mm approximately through to end of racing, according to Met Éireann.

“Venetian Sun is working as well as ever, if not better,” Burke told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast.

“In terms of the ground, we’ll be walking the track several times, I think, on Sunday morning. We really want to run her but if turned up heavy, there would be a doubt about whether she’d run. We know she’s better on good ground. She’s run on fast ground nearly every time and Clifford [Lee] says ‘she’s feeling the ground’. We want good or good to soft - even soft would be okay - but real deep or very soft ground would bring her participation into doubt. Especially when the Cheveley Park Stakes is just around the corner. There’s a question mark at the moment. We’re certainly on weather watch.”

Murphy is also likely to be represented in the Moyglare with impressive Galway Festival maiden winner Pivotal Attack, who excelled on yielding ground when last seen. Early odds of 33/1 after declarations appear to underestimate her potential.

“She’s a filly who will progress to be a nice three-year-old,” said Murphy.

“It obviously looks a competitive race and if she could finish in the first three in a Group 1 on the third start of her life, I think myself and the owner would be very happy.”

Murphy has one other runner on the weekend, stakes-race regular Lord Massusus in the Group 2 Tonybet Solonaway Stakes (4.25).

“I think he could be even better with an ease in the ground and I expect he’ll run a good race,” the Co Tipperary-based trainer said of his dual course-and-distance winner.