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Full-Sister To Minding, Empress Josephine Debuts

16.30 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 6fT
Coolmore and Westerberg's THE LUTE PLAYER (IRE) (Caravaggio) is a son of G3 Ballyogan S. third Sparrow (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and thus a half-brother to G1 Cox Plate and G1 Tancred S. hero Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The Aidan O'Brien-conditioned newcomer faces a cast of 10, which includes Johnny Murtagh trainee War Effort (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who is a half-brother and stablemate to last term's G1 Matron S. victrix Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}).

17.00 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT
Aidan O'Brien trainee TUESDAY (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is another to represent the Coolmore-Westerberg axis and she faces a deep field in this debut. The June-foaled bay is a full-sister to seven-time Group 1 heroine Minding (Ire) and this term's G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Empress Josephine (Ire). Her opposition includes Jim Bolger's Hymn Book Two (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who is a half-sister to MG1SW sire Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}); Mise Le Meas (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), a Johnny Murtagh-trained half-sister to G1 Falmouth S. victrix Nahoodh (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}); Shadwell homebred Alaroos (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), a half-sister to MGSW G1 Epsom Derby runner-up Madhmoon (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), from the Kevin Prendergast stable; and Jessica Harrington trainee Discoveries (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who is a once-raced full-sister to MG1SW G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Alpha Centauri (Ire) and a half to last term's G1 Coronation S. victrix Alpha Lupi (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}).

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Mojo Ready For Second Derby Test

Europe's most famous maiden Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) will face 10 rivals in Saturday's G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh after Thursday's confirmation stage. Amo Racing's G1 Epsom Derby runner-up was supplemented at a cost of €75,000 by Richard Hannon this week and is the foremost representative of the June 5 blue riband, with the third Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and fourth Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) set to re-oppose for Charlie Appleby and Jim Bolger, respectively. Hurricane Lane is in three, while the May 22 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Mac Swiney has stall seven. There will be no issues with the draw in four for Mojo Star, who is due to be ridden by the owners' retained jockey Rossa Ryan after he completed his recovery from injury. Aidan O'Brien is responsible for a quartet headed by 'TDN Rising Star' High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who is drawn in 10, while Seamie Heffernan is on Wednesday's G2 Queen's Vase runner-up Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) drawn widest of all and Colin Keane comes in for the ride on Van Gogh (American Pharoah) who starts from stall six.

Hannon said he is confident that Mojo Star will prove his Derby run to be no fluke and said, “He was always a very laid-back horse. I thought he was a nice horse, but didn't know he was a very good horse. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he was beaten at Newbury earlier this season. I managed to get both him and Snow Lantern beaten on the same day and I thought 'this is going to be a long year'. In hindsight, he's a very big horse and he's grown. It was a bit of a leap of faith putting him in the Derby, but as soon as he pulled up at Newbury I thought he was a Derby horse if I'd ever seen one.”

“We got a bit held up on Tattenham Corner–we were travelling very well and the ground he was making at the line was very pleasing,” Hannon added. “I think this track will suit him a lot more. I was delighted with second and he was a running-on second. We're hardly synonymous with Derby horses. I remember one year at school my dad had the favourite and second-favourite and they were last and second-last. I used to go to the Irish Derby with a few mates from Ireland as a kid. We took Alriffa one year and he wasn't good enough, but to have one with a chance is great.”

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Class Drop For John Leeper

Cristina Patino's John Leeper (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) is expected to resurface next Friday at Sandown, where he will take a class drop for the Listed Gala S. over 2000 metres. John Leeper, a son of the multiple Group 1-winning mare Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab), was named a 'TDN Rising Star' when breaking his maiden by four lengths at Newcastle on Apr. 30, and he confirmed himself an exciting prospect with a victory in the May 15 Listed Novice S., where he had the subsequent G2 King Edward VII S. runner-up Tasman Bay (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) back in second. John Leeper was given a tall task in the G1 Cazoo Derby next out and beat just two home.

“All being well and everything being equal, we're probably going to go to Sandown next Friday in a listed race over a mile and a quarter and we'll see how we get on there,” said trainer Ed Dunlop. “There is a race in France next weekend for 3-year-olds over a mile and a quarter if I'm not happy with Sandown, but at the moment we're heading to Sandown. We'd like to sort of drop down before going back up again. Sandown is a stiff 10 furlongs, which will suit.”

Reflecting on John Leeper's Derby performance, Dunlop said, “He was a bit keen at Epsom and Frankie suggested we drop him back in trip; this seems an ideal race. We've always thought on pedigree and looks he should stay a mile and a half, but we mustn't forget he's only run four times in his life.

“He did a lot in a month, going from a Newcastle novice to the Derby with a listed race in between. He fell into everyone's dream given his pedigree and being named after my father and people latched on. That dream has gone now, we've moved on and he's a horse we're in no rush with. He should be better as an older horse and we retain utmost faith in him. It didn't happen at Epsom, but the one thing was he didn't have a hard race–when Frankie knew he wasn't going to be involved, he just let him coast home.”

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Watson Lodges Commonwealth Cup Appeal

Trainer Archie Watson has lodged an appeal with the British Horseracing Authority against the decision by stewards at Royal Ascot to disqualify Yoshiro Kubota's Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) from victory in last week's G1 Commonwealth Cup.

Dragon Symbol and Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) moved into a joint lead approaching the final furlong of the Commonwealth Cup, at which point Dragon Symbol, ridden by Oisin Murphy, began to drift towards the far side rail, bumping Campanelle, with Frankie Dettori aboard, as he did so. Stewards deemed that at the time of interference, both horses were traveling equally well and they determined that the distance lost by Campanelle as a result of the interference cost her the win. Campanelle had been beaten a head on the line by Dragon Symbol, but was ultimately declared the official winner. No appeal has been brought against the four-day ban for careless riding copped by Murphy.

Watson's case will be heard before an independent disciplinary panel of the BHA on July 1.

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