Marmalade may be doubtful if ground deteriorates

Aidan O'Brien has warned that heavy rain could still rule Duke Of Marmalade out of a second clash with New Approach in the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown tomorrow.

After an alarming drift in the betting on Wednesday in the face of sustained support for Jim Bolger's Derby hero, the five-time Group One winner found himself struggling to hold on to his position at the head of the market.

O'Brien has stated that the intention is to run but with 20-30 millimetres of rain expected in the Dublin area before the race he would not be keen to risk the fast ground performer in testing conditions.

'The plan is to run Duke Of Marmalade, but if they get all the rain that's forecast we would be talking about ground that would not be ideal for the horse,' said O'Brien.

'Everyone knows he's a horse who likes good, fast ground, so we'll have to wait and see what happens with the weather and review the situation if necessary,' he told the Racing Post.

O'Brien also has King Of Rome and Red Rock Canyon declared for the ten furlong event.

Conditions at Leopardstown appear to be worsening after the course was hit with a substantial amount of rain on Friday morning.

Although the track was described as good to yielding, the ground is likely to be much more testing now and general manager Tom Burke is planning to assess the situation after lunch.

'The rain started getting really heavy at 8.30am this morning and to be honest, it has been persistent ever since then,' said Burke.

'We called it good to yielding this morning but it will be rather different now. We haven't called an inspection but we are going out to have a look at the track shortly and we will assess the situation then.'

In the event that Saturday's meeting is abandoned, there are contingency plans in place for the card to be take place on Sunday.

Jim Bolger reports New Approach ready to bounce back to his very best at Leopardstown. The Vodafone Derby hero suffered a slight setback after his Epsom heroics, meaning he was not seen in racecourse action for well over two months.

When he did eventually return for the rearranged Juddmonte International at Newmarket, he took a fierce hold in the early stages and had to settle for third behind Duke Of Marmalade and Phoenix Tower.

Bolger said in the immediate aftermath of that race he hoped to have his stable star much more relaxed for his next appearance and he is confident the colt is ready to do himself justice.

'The ground looks like it will be testing and while it is not too much of a worry, we wouldn't want it to be too bad,' said the Coolcullen handler.

'Obviously he was very fresh at Newmarket but I think we have that sorted that out. He is in great form and it looks like there is going to be something in there to make it a decent pace which we are happy about.'

Bolger would not go into race tactics but added, 'We will see - I think we are ready anyway.'

Multidimensional's two biggest wins have been in soft conditions but connections would not want to see the Leopardstown ground deteriorate to the mire at Haydock where he managed his latest success last month.

Henry Cecil's five-year-old enjoyed a welcome triumph in the toteswinger Rose of Lancaster Stakes, providing compensation for his unfortunate neck defeat to Macarthur in Royal Ascot's Hardwicke Stakes.

'He has travelled over and appears to be in good shape,' said Alan Cooper, racing manager to Multidimensional's owner the Niarchos Family.