Zannda heads three-year-olds' Trigo assault While the Group Three Killavullan Stakes takes centre stage at Leopardstown on Saturday, the supporting undercard is well worth the admission fee alone with the Listed Trigo Stakes featuring four runners currently rated over 100. The three-year-olds appear to have a slight form edge in the 10-furlong contest with a pair of Aga Khan three-year-olds running for trainer Dermot Weld. Zannda appears the stable-first string under Pat Smullen and the daughter of the owner's Azamour is likely to feature very prominently having raced with admirable consistency all year. While absent since winning the Give Thanks Stakes at Cork in August, Zannda had previously finished second to Classic winner Pleascach and had also filled the same spot in the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket in May. Weld also runs Ashraf, a March maiden winner on heavy ground on his only start this year. Opposing the Weld/Aga Khan alliance are 101-rated three-year-old Torcedor, twice a winner at the Curragh in recent months, while the Ger Lyons-trained Intisari is a progressive sort who returns to turf for the first time since winning at Navan in July. Aidan O'Brien will have his mind firmly fixed on the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster during the day, where he runs Deauville, Johannes Vermeer and Port Douglas but the champion trainer will does have plenty interest in proceedings at the Dublin venue. O'Brien runs Even Song in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden and the half-sister to recent St Leger winner Simple Verse is likely to improve from a very promising debut effort at Dundalk eight days ago. Stablemate Prefer, by Galileo, is a sister to no less than seven black-type performers and while also likely to have plenty of ability, is perhaps best watched on debut. O'Brien also runs two sons of Galileo in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, along with a once-raced son of Pivotal in Reckless Gold. Galileo's son Claudio Monteverdi is a full brother to Jim Bolger's triple Group One winner Lush Lashes while The Major General, bred by Bolger, cost 1.5million euros as a yearling. Elsewhere trainer Willie McCreery will be looking to add the Dimension Engineering Handicap to last month's Roscommon win with Expreso Brasileiro. The three year old's 11lb rise is slightly off-set by Gary Halpin's 5lb claim.
