Tuesday 12 August 2014 12:01, UK
Trainer Pat Fahy is keeping his fingers crossed one-time Classic hope Ballybacka Queen can get her season back on track in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Hurry Harriet Stakes at Gowran Park on Wednesday evening.
The daughter of Hurricane Run showed quality form as a two-year-old and made a highly encouraging reappearance when third in the 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown in early May.
However, she was well beaten in the Irish Guineas itself and has since finished down the field in the Irish Oaks and at the Galway Festival.
Fahy said: "I think they're having plenty of rain in Gowran and there should be a good ease in the ground, which is what she wants.
"The ground was very quick when she ran in the Irish Oaks and she wouldn't let herself down on it all. The ground was quick enough and she had a bad draw in Galway the last day and she just didn't fire at all.
"We'll just have to wait and see how she performs tomorrow, but I'm hoping she'll look more like herself.
"She's fit and well and I don't think there'll be any excuses."
Ballybacka Queen features in a 15-runner field, with Aidan O'Brien saddling Beyond Brilliance, Dance With Another, Just Gorgeous, Shell House and Sparrow.
Dermot Weld has a couple of contenders in Carla Bianca and I'm Yours.
The Tommy Stack-trained Alive Alive Oh, Thomas Cleary's runaway Sligo winner Queen Of Alba and Cosmic Cannonball from Jim Bolger's yard also line up.
