Just four runners go to post for the Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes, the feature race at Navan on Sunday.
Aidan O'Brien has won five of the last nine renewals of the Group Three event and has an excellence chance of enhancing that record with market leader Bondi Beach, who came so close to St Leger glory at Doncaster in September.
Colm O'Donoghue's mount was awarded the race by the stewards after a controversial finish involving Andrea Atzeni's SImple Verse, but that decision was ultimately overturned by the BHA.
He accounted for the re-opposing Toe The Line (third) and Silwana (sixth) when returning with a victory at Limerick last month and his biggest threat appears to be Zannda.
Representing a Dermot Weld yard that has taken this prize twice in the last three years, she disappointed on her reappearance but enjoyed a good three-year-old campaign, which she signed off with a Listed/Group Three double.
Silwana, a former inmate of the Weld yard, represents trainer Takashi Kodama and was purchased for €320,000 at the end of last year.
The action gets under way at 1.45pm with the Coolmore Stud Power Stakes, in which O'Brien also holds a strong hand, courtesy of Waterloo Bridge and Washington DC.
The latter filled the runner-up berth in the Group One Phoenix Stakes last summer and has won his last two tries at Listed level, while Colm O'Donoghue's mount landed the Group Two Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer but disappointed at the same venue last time out in a Group Three.
The Ballydoyle handler takes the wraps off the well bred Cockatoo Island in the Pour Moi EBF Maiden, while his stablemate Edgar Allan Poe should appreciated the drop to the minimum trip in the Requinto EBF Maiden after fading late on over six furlongs on debut.
Weld takes on O'Brien-trained duo Immortal Bridge and Successor with £120,000 purchase Magnolia Rose in the closing Excelebration Maiden.
Ger Lyons won the navanracecourse.ie Handicap 12 months ago with Joe Eile and bids to repeat the dose with Ardhoomey, who returned with an impressive success at Dundalk last month.
Top weight may not be enough to prevent the Tony Martin-trained Laganore completing a double in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap, while Aa Bee See shaped like his turn was near when a fast-finishing second at Wexford last week and attempts to go one better in the Follow Navan On Facebook Handicap.
