Irish Guineas runner-up all the rage for Fairyhouse feature Aidan O’Brien’s Could It Be Love hunts a first victory at Pattern level in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Brownstown Stakes at Fairyhouse on Sunday. The three-year-old filly’s recent form entitles her to maximum respect in this €75,000 Group Three contest. She was third in the Group Three Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot when last seen in June and, on her penultimate start, was not far behind the excellent Alpha Centauri when second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. Could It Be Love has her sights lowered a shade for her latest assignment and should prove hard to beat. O’Brien has a second string to his bow in Hence, while Joseph O’Brien’s pair of Damselfly and Wisdom Fly and David O’Meara’s British raider Lincoln Rocks also feature in a seven-strong field. Aidan O’Brien’s Coral Beach probably will not have a better opportunity to get off the mark than in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. Following a string of encouraging efforts, she ought to prove strong enough on her fifth start. Focus Of Attention is aptly named for Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien in the Fairyhouse Family Funday Handicap. This Intense Focus filly has dropped to a mark of 65 and just gets into this contest after being placed in a higher grade at Navan. The O’Brien brothers also team up with Lady Godiva in the Toals.com Bookmakers Handicap for three-year-old rated 45-70, after a close second at Bellewstown on Thursday evening. They supply a likely type in National Glory for the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over seven furlongs. He chased home an odds-on favourite in a six-furlong maiden at this track in June. Baba Boom has filled out his frame this season and could continue his good form in the Toals.com Bookmakers Handicap for three-year-olds. High Kicker made a return to the winner’s enclosure at Tipperary at the end of June for the first time since 2015 and has every chance of following up in the Free Ice-Cream For Children Today Handicap.
