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Acapulco primed for Greenlands mission

Acapulco (Donnacha O'Brien) winning at the Curragh earlier this monthAcapulco (Donnacha O'Brien) winning at the Curragh earlier this month
© Photo Healy Racing

Churchill takes centre stage in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday but the supporting card features a pair of Group Two races, with the presence of top sprinter Acapulco in the €120,000 Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes of definite interest.

The daughter of Scat Daddy was a top-class filly when trained by Wesley Ward, winning the 2015 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot before finishing second in that year's Nunthorpe Stakes as a two-year-old, and has since made a winning debut for Aidan O'Brien at the Curragh.

Now owned by the Coolmore partners, Acapulco is in-foal to their best stallion Galileo and can be expected to take all the beating as she faces six rivals, although it is interesting her handicap mark of 107 means she, in theory, has 4lb to find with top adjusted-rated runner Suedois, for trainer David O'Meara.

The other Group Two contest, the Lanwades Stud Stakes, has attracted five smart fillies, with the Jim Bolger-trained Turret Rocks the likely favourite having bounced back to winning ways at the venue earlier this month.

Dermot Weld's Raymonda is herself capable and also has claims along with 111-rated Opal Tiara, who represents English-based trainer Mick Channon.

O'Brien's incredible firepower is perfectly illustrated in the opening Equisoft Irish EBF Fillies Maiden as Churchill's sister Clemmie makes her debut for the champion trainer, who also sends out 1000 Guineas winner Winter's own sister Snowflakes in the six-furlong contest, where just five of the 15 have previous racecourse experience.

The Dermot Weld-trained Aydoun, an impressive debut winner at Listowel last September, might prove the solution to the concluding €50,000 FBD Hotels & Resorts Faithlegg House Handicap, having returned to action with an encouraging runner-up effort at Killarney recently.