Aidan O'Brien takes the wraps off the long-absent Innisfree (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on Friday, with the 2019 G2 Beresford S. winner and G1 Futurity Trophy runner-up returning in The Curragh's 10-furlong G3 Royal Whip S. Not seen since his 3 1/4-length defeat by Kameko (Kitten's Joy) in that juvenile highlight staged on Newcastle's Tapeta in November of that season, the full-brother to High Definition (Ire) faces a tough tasking giving five pounds to the course-and-distance G3 Gallinule S. winner and G1 Irish Derby fourth Earlswood (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).
Also on the card is the 14-furlong G3 Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial S., where another Irish Derby protagonist in Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bids to get back to winning ways following a string of solid placings in better company. Third in that June 26 Curragh Classic before running second in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris July 14, Ballydoyle's full-brother to Kew Gardens (Ire) encounters last year's G1 Prix du Cadran winner and June 17 G1 Gold Cup runner-up Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}).
Princess Zoe's trainer Tony Mullins said, “I'd say she's coming forward all the time, which is unreal at her age. We believe this is not her ideal distance, but it's an ideal prep race after a lovely bit of rain in the last couple of days. I don't see any reason why she won't go to York and Friday's run will have the bearing factor on which race she goes for–that will tell us a lot more. I was afraid if no rain came for York and we didn't run on Friday, then we'd have nowhere. We're not worried about good ground, I just don't want good-to-firm. It was a brilliant run on good-to-firm at Ascot, but we have no desire to run on that ground again.”
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