Hard Rock tops Lincoln field Michael Grassick´s Hard Rock City will carry top-weight in Sunday´s Ladbrokes.com Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh. A consistent performer in pattern company last term, the eight-year-old will be ridden by Seamus Heffernan. John Oxx´s twice-race Alarazi is next on the card, with Mick Kinane flying back from Dubai in time for the ride, with similar comments applying to Johnny Murtagh who will partner Little White Lie for Ger Lyons, unplaced at Doncaster last week. David Nicholls sends Fremen over from his Thirsk base, with actress Clare King hoping to emulate the success of Dame Judi Dench with Smokey Oakey in the Lincoln. Another British challenger is Karl Burke´s Moody Tunes, and the soft ground-lover has had the race as a target for some time. "The Irish Lincoln has been his winter target," said Burke. "He was fourth out in Galway last year and he travels well. He´s a 10lb better horse on heavy ground and we look like being guaranteed that now on Sunday. "He´s had two prep runs, the idea was to only give him one but we got sucked into the idea of running him in the Spring Mile. "He ran a fair enough race, he´s come out of it in great form and because of that run I haven´t had to do too much with him this week. "He´s fresh and well and as long as he travels over well I think he´ll run a big race," he told At The Races. There is also a French challenger in the shape of John Hammond´s Estrela Brage, second in a Listed race on his last start. Other interesting contenders among the 27-runner field include Michael O´Brien´s Green Tobasco who has been in fine form on the all-weather and impressive Cork winner Sciatin. Kevin Prendergast is hoping to get his season off to a flyer with Celtic Dane, but he believes the four-year-old has it all to do against the French challenger. "He´s in good shape but he has gone up a lot in the weights, he only won a small handicap and a maiden," said Prendergast. "I would have thought the horse coming from France is the one to beat after finishing second in a Listed race last time. "He´s rated only 88 and yet when we take our horses over to England they get 10lb more. It looks to me like he is very well in. "John Oxx´s horse Alarazi has only had two runs and yet has a rating of 102. "He´s a genuine little fellow our horse but off 95 he´s over-rated in my opinion so we are taking 7lb off him with an inexperienced kid (Michael Snee). The ground will be fine for him."
