Aussie out to show class in Cambridgeshire

Six of last year's participants are back to try their luck in the Irish Cambridgeshire, supported this year by the Tote.

The second, third and fifth from 2014 - Vastonea, Hasanour, and Canary Row - form part of the 25-strong field for this year's renewal at the Curragh on Sunday.

Five trainers have multiple representatives in the valuable mile contest - Ger Lyons sends out five runners, David Wachman three, with Michael Halford, Dermot Weld, and Jim Bolger having two each.

Halford's Portage not surprisingly heads the betting after his Ascot success last month, while that Godolphin colt's fellow three-year-old, the Bolger-trained Algonquin, is on a roll, now taking aim at five in a row and reverting from Listed company.

Locally-based handler Paul Deegan switches cheekpieces for a visor on his contender Aussie Valentine, and Chris Hayes will be hoping to add to his gains from 2012 when he landed the spoils on the Andy Oliver-trained Punch Your Weight.

"I just hope the ground stays slow. I think you can put a line through the Galway run (towards the rear in the Topaz Mile) for the moment anyway - maybe he didn't operate around there," said Deegan.

"A reproduction of his Lincoln run (second) would see him bang there, hopefully. He won well after that at Leopardstown, too.

"He's a class act on soft ground. Everything needs to fall right for him, but he's a horse with a lot of pace and I think there is more to come from him.

"I'd like to think that he is better than a handicapper, and when he is allowed to do his own thing he's a smart horse.

"I think the draw (11) is OK. It's very hard to know where you'd want to be, though."

Alistair Whillans' Pintura is the sole British raider and is no stranger to Ireland after his regular forays to the Galway Festival which have yielded one win and good place prize-money on other occasions.

Declan McDonogh rides Pintura now for the fifth time and he was on the mark here back in 2005 on Kestrel Cross for Kevin Prendergast.

Wayne Lordan was triumphant on Castle Bar Sling in 2011 and Sretaw last year and is entitled to think he might be in the shake-up again on one of the David Wachman three, Fit For The Job.