Farrell hoping for rain for Ramone Trainer Bill Farrell is praying for rain to allow star mare Ramone to return to action at the Curragh on Sunday. The five-year-old caused one of the biggest upsets of the season so far when running out a 100-1 winner of the Park Express Stakes in late March and proved that effort was no fluke when finishing a creditable second in May's Lanwades Stud Stakes, just ahead of subsequent Royal Ascot and Falmouth Stakes heroine Amazing Maria. Farrell has given his charge entries in both the Friarstown Stud Minstrel Stakes and the Kilboy Estate Stakes on Sunday, with the former his preferred target. "It all depends on the ground, but we want to run her if we can," said the County Kildare handler. "We are due some rain on Thursday and Friday, so we'll see what happens. We want to run in the Minstrel over seven furlongs ideally. "I'm not that keen to run over nine furlongs in the other race (Kilboy Estate Stakes), but we'll see what happens. "She's in good form and we're keen to run if we get some reasonable ground." Ramone is one of 21 confirmations for the Minstrel Stakes, with Tom Hogan's multiple Group One winner Gordon Lord Byron taking star billing. Other possible runners in the Group Three heat include Ansgar, Sruthan and War Envoy. Eighteen fillies and mares are in contention for the longer Kilboy Estate Stakes. The unbeaten Words is in this Group Two as well as Saturday's Darley Irish Oaks, while Lucy Wadham's Lancashire Oaks winner Lady Tiana heads a British challenge that also includes the Karl Burke-trained Odeliz, a winner in Germany three weeks ago.
