Branch Line 'in good nick' for Tipperary test Andrew Slattery believes Branch Line will not be out of place in the Coolmore Canford Cliffs Stakes at Tipperary on Friday. It is nearly eight weeks since the son of Rip Van Winkle made a winning debut at Roscommon, but Slattery has vowed not to give the youngster he rates highly a tough time in his first campaign. While the Thurles trainer expects Branch Line to be all the better for the outing, he reports him to be fit enough do himself justice in what looks a competitive contest. "It's a hot race, but we like our horse and we'll see where we stand with him," said Slattery. "He's in good nick, he's ready to run. It won't matter what ground turns up as I don't think ground is an issue. "We think he's a good horse and ground doesn't make a difference. "He seems to have come on for his first run. He's a very big horse, so anything he does at two is a bonus. We won't over-race him and that's why we gave him time between runs. "He's not your typical two-year-old. We gave him a good break after Roscommon. We'd liked to have got another gallop into him but he's fairly straight and will improve for the run. "We like him and hope we're not just there to make up the numbers." Among Branch Line's six rivals are two winners from last week's Galway Festival, the Aidan O'Brien-trained Capri and Right Honourable from Dermot Weld's stable. In a strong line-up, Boyfriend Brian bids to take his 100 per cent record to three for trainer Ger Lyons, while David Wachman's Intern looked good when winning on his racecourse bow at Leopardstown last month. O'Brien's second string Elizabeth Browning and Ken Condon's Elusive Beauty make up the septet.
