Tomahawk should be a banker

Brian O`Connor expects a Chesham Stakes win will see Aidan O`Brien draw level with Demot Weld`s score of 11 Royal Ascot victories

Tomahawk will be an Irish banker in today`s Chesham Stakes and in the process should achieve another Royal Ascot milestone for the all-conquering Aidan O`Brien.

The opening day double, that included Statue Of Liberty in the Coventry, took O`Brien`s career total at the festival to 10.

That`s a remarkable total, since the first was Harbour Master in 1997, and puts him just one short of Dermot Weld as Ireland`s most successful current trainer at Royal Ascot.

Yesterday`s Coventry indicated the strength of the Ballydoyle juveniles and Tomahawk is confidently expected to follow up a debut victory on the opening day of the Irish season.

'It was good that Statue Of Liberty won and we`ve always thought Tomahawk was a very nice colt too. The seven furlongs should be okay. He`s got some stamina in his pedigree,' O`Brien said yesterday evening.

That pedigree was enough for John Magnier to splash out $2.5 million for the Seattle Slew colt as a yearling.

The drying out ground at Ascot is provoking some encouragement for Bach`s chances of winning that elusive first Group One in the Prince Of Wales`s Stakes.

'He came on from his first race of the season to the second and we think he has done the same for the third. This good ground will suit him a lot better than what was at the Curragh,' O`Brien said.

That Curragh run was a second to Rebelline in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, where Nayef was a disappointing third.

The Godolphin challenger Grandera, very close to Bach on Eclipse form last year, won a big pot in Singapore last time. He will have a big shout again but maybe not as much as the Breeders` Cup heroine, Banks Hill.

Bach will love the dry ground but so will Banks Hill who couldn`t handle the soft surface in the Prix d`Ispahan.

Michael Kinane didn`t give too much encouragement for Proud Beauty`s chance yesterday when he said: 'The filly for the Queen Mary is not quite as strong as we would like because the weather has been so bad in Ireland.' However O`Brien said: 'She made the running on very bad ground at Leopardstown and just got tired. She should do better now.' Hidden Dragon has a first start of the season in the Jersey after recovering from some muscle problems.

One More Round has his work cut out off a 103 rating in the Hunt Cup and the Irish challenge in the marathon Ascot Stakes consists of Billy Bonnie and Clever Consul. The bottom-weight could suit some each-way speculators.

Only two overnight defections at the final 48-hour stage means a field of 17 is set to go to post for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot tomorrow.

Dermot Weld`s Vinnie Roe looks set to go off a very warm order indeed to give Ireland its first win in the two and a half mile marathon since Enzeli beat the James Fanshawe-trained Invermark in 1999.

And Invermark will once again try and land the premier staying prize, as will last year`s Johnston`s Royal Rebel.

Brian O`Connor`s tips

2.30- Seihali

3.05- Katdogawn

3.45- Banks Hill

4.20- JR Stevenson

4.55- Riyadh

5.30- Tomahwak