1st - €26,000.00 2nd - €8,000.00 3rd - €4,000.00 4th - €1,600.00 Overcast, light rain

FormscanBy Eamonn Murphy - Eight times a winner here, BANNA BOIRCHE never runs a bad race on the polytrack and he does stand out as the most solid one in this event. One of the leading lights of Michael Halford's Copper Beech Stables, Banna Boirche has been competing in good company at this venue in recent times, two runs back he finished sixth in a Group 3 behind the classy Declaration Of War. Indeed last time too he went down to another very good horse when third behind Japanese-import, Shadow Gate, four weeks back, and it looks close to certain that there's nothing in here to compare with those two. He should beat the other older horse in the line-up, King's Trail, so then it's a matter of whether there's a three-year-old progressive enough in the field to land this Listed prize. Paene Magnus is on a serious upward curve and he is the pick of Jim Bolger's two ahead of the first-time blinkered Loreto. Romantic Stroll ran a cracker here last week, earning herself a hefty revision in the ratings and it's not easy to see her make another mammoth jump just a further seven days on. Starstruck bolted-up three weeks back here, but she has plenty more to find to beat the likes of Banna Boirche.

For three yrs old and upwards
Weights - 3-y-o 9st 3lb; 4-y-o and up 9st 7lb; Fillies allowed 3lb
Penalties - (to count from 1st January, 2012) Winner of a Listed race 3lb extra; Of a Group 3 race 5lb extra; Of a Group 2 race or a Group 1 race 7lb extra;