Kidd counting on good ground to bring out the best in stable star Rashaan

Tipperary Perpetual Cup Handicap | 2m1f (2m185y) | ATR

Colin Kidd learned the hard way that Rashaan hates soft ground. After bursting on to the scene as a promising juvenile hurdler in 2015, Rashaan’s form tapered off when the ground became testing, but he showed what he was capable of when dishing out a beating to Apple's Jade and Petit Mouchoir at Down Royal in November.

Even after that career highlight, Kidd resisted the temptation to run his star through the winter months, and instead freshened up the Manduro gelding for a spring-summer campaign.

Trips to Aintree and Punchestown haven't gone to plan but the five-year-old won his latest Flat start at Dundalk and is a classy sort on his day.

Ahead of saddling his first Classic runner Intricately in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday, Joseph O'Brien runs Tommy Welsh and War Goddess in this.

Cliff House took this race last year for John Joe Walsh and is back in a bid to land back-to-back renewals.

What they say

Pat Flynn, trainer of Gusty Rocky
He's in good form and my only worry is fast ground. It should be safe and he should run a nice race.

Edward O’Grady, trainer of Prickly
We were disappointed with his run at Fairyhouse but he made a bad mistake at the first and it turned out he burst a blood vessel. He hasn't done a tremendous amount of work since but he's very well and I'm hoping he'll run a good race.

Colin Kidd, trainer of Rashaan
He's as fit as a fiddle and ready to go again. He didn’t have that hard a race at Punchestown and he came out of it very well, so we're taking our chance. He'll have a mixed campaign over the summer and we'll keep him going as he likes good ground.

Joseph O’Brien, trainer of War Goddess and Tommy Welsh
Both have run well over a similar trip before at Dundalk, when Tommy Welsh beat War Goddess narrowly. The track is the only unknown, but I expect a nice run from them if they handle it.