The whole shape of the Irish Flat season is being defined by one man only - and even his main targets lie elsewhere

On Sunday at Leopardstown, the tempo of the Irish Flat season quickens with the running of three Classic trials: two seven-furlong contests geared towards the Guineas and the Ballysax Stakes, a ten-furlong event that grew in stature early this century when won in consecutive years by Aidan O'Brien's pioneering Derby winners Galileo and High Chaparral.

Historically, the opening months of Ireland's Flat season have always been disjointed from the perspective of the racing public; it is hard to concentrate on the Flat in March when one is contemplating Cheltenham.

Thoughts then turn to Aintree, and a Fairyhouse fixture forever tied to the vagaries of the Christian calendar. Flat racing continues to play second fiddle to the jumps, and Punchestown is still to come. It can be May before the new season becomes the main focus of attention.