Rosallion on the drift in Irish 2,000 Guineas as punters seek alternatives to odds-on shot in the Curragh Classic

Rosallion has drifted in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas (3.40) market as punters look to take on the odds-on favourite at the Curragh. The 2,000 Guineas runner-up is out to evens (from 8-11) with William Hill to go one better than when chasing home Notable Speech at Newmarket.

The Richard Hannon-trained son of Blue Point’s only defeat in four juvenile starts came when third on soft ground at Doncaster in the Champagne Stakes last September.

Rosallion made a successful debut on a going description of good to firm at Newbury last June and leads the market ahead of the well-supported River Tiber, who is returning from a 238-day absence, and stablemate Haatem.

• Watch: Paul Kealy, Kate Tracey and Johnny Dineen mark your cards for a bumper Saturday's racing on The Morning Post

Rosallion beat Haatem by one and three-quarter lengths at Newmarket last time and Hannon has made no secret that he regards the runner-up as the better colt. However, Haatem has been backed into 6-1 (from 15-2) to reverse the form.

Last year's Coventry Stakes winner River Tiber followed up his Royal Ascot success by finishing third behind Vandeek in both the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. Aidan O'Brien has won this Classic a record ten times and River Tiber, the mount of Ryan Moore, has been trimmed to 100-30 from 4-1.

The fellow Ballydoyle representative Unquestionable is 9-1 (from 10) despite having been beaten a length by Rosallion in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp before his Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf victory at Santa Anita.

Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: “Rosallion is still odds-on, but on the drift, while there’s been cash for his stable companion Haatem to reverse the English Guineas placings. 

"We’ve also seen support for River Tiber as well as Aidan’s so-called second string Unquestionable who has yet to be seen in public this term.”

At Haydock, English Oak is no bigger than 10-11 to go one better than his last two starts having been available at 2-1 from the 7f handicap (3.00). Ed Walker's four-year-old was beaten a neck by Ascot specialist Rohaan at the Berkshire venue on his penultimate start before finishing second again at Newmarket last time.

Other market movers

Chester
2.20 Stapleford Park 7-1 (from 14)

Curragh
4.50 Neo Smart 8-1(from 25)
5.25 Raydamann 9-2 (from 11)

Salisbury
5.55 Midnight's Dream 5-2 (from 11-2)

Windsor
7.45 Island Star 7-2 (from 9)

Updated at 12.10pm

Selective watering undertaken at the Curragh

Conditions have quickened slightly at the Curragh ahead of Saturday’s Irish 2,000 Guineas with the going on the straight course changed to good, good to firm in places.

The going description was good on the straight course for the opening day of the Guineas meeting on Friday but now mirrors the round course ahead of Saturday’s fixture which features two other Group races before the first Irish Classic of the season.

Clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan said on Saturday morning: “Both tracks are now good, good to firm in places. Selective watering will commence on the round course.

“The forecast is dry today with rain moving in late afternoon around 5pm through tonight and tomorrow. Overnight they’re giving 7-8mm of rain and then showers tomorrow.”

On the volume of potential rain before Sunday’s Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas and Tattersalls Gold Cup Group 1 card, Sheridan said: “You could get a shower with 5mm or you could get a shower with 15mm. 

“We have seven yards of fresh ground today and seven yards tomorrow. We’re in a good place.”

Updated at 9.10am

Going remains soft at Haydock

In Britain, the going remains soft, heavy in places at Haydock ahead of its Premier meeting. The first day of the meeting on Friday was run on the same going description after the track had been watered on Tuesday.

Explaining the decision to water, clerk of the course Daniel Cooper told ITV Racing's Opening Show: "On Sunday and Monday we were seeing ground going quite quick and in the end on Monday we had to change it to good to firm ground.

"There were some good places in the back straight but that good to firm was changing every day so we just had to take stock of where we were. At entry stage it was quite a quick ground description.

"We saw a complex week in forecast terms, we saw the ground deteriorating in terms of how quickly it was drying so we wanted to maintain. The rain that came was much more than was forecast, in the end we had amber warnings. That was never in our thinking, it was an unfortunate end to that strategy. It clearly didn't go the way we'd planned and we had 46mm in the end."

Haydock: five live races to be shown on ITV3Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Cooper moved from his roles at Wincanton and Exeter to replace Haydock's longstanding clerk Kirkland Tellwright in March and added: "I think we were possibly trying to get to the right place for declarations and maybe we need to look and do things towards declarations and even after declarations. It's a 48-hour window and maybe that in itself presents more of an opportunity. That 5mm, the only intention was to maintain conditions at the start of the week."

Last year's Group 1 Nunthorpe winner Live In The Dream makes his seasonal debut in the Betfred Temple Stakes (1.50), one of five live Haydock races to be shown on ITV3. Cooper said: "They'll be racing on the outer track today on soft ground on the straight and it's soft, heavy in places on the round course."

The ground is good, good to firm in places at Goodwood, Britain's other Premier meeting, while it is good to soft at York, where the feature William Hill Bronte Cup Fillies' Stakes (3.20) will be shown on ITV3 as well as the 5f handicap (2.45).

Updated at 10.10am

Key non-runners

Curragh

1.20 6 Go On Green (ran yesterday), 7 Gun Carriage (change in going), 9 Hill Road (coughing)
2.30 9 Easy (ground)
3.05 2 Gentleman Joe (coughing)
4.15 2 Chally Chute (change in going), 6 Titanium (ground)
5.25 6 Nestor (off feed)

Goodwood

1.30 1 Native American (bruised foot), 4 Balmacara (going), 6 Mission To Moon (going)
2.05 3 Beeley (bruised foot), 6 Lava Stream (bad scope)
2.35 13 Stage Effect (going)

Haydock

1.15 Volterra (temperature)
1.50 6 Makarova (going)
2.25 8 Pandora's Gift (going)
3.00 7 Metabolt (going)
4.45 2 Story Horse (going), 5 Sutue Alshams

York

1.35 21 Ray Vonn (abscess)
2.45 3 Democracy Dilemma (double declaration)
3.55 10 Rating (going)
5.05 3 Extrication (going), 13 Broken Spear (going)

Updated at 10.40am

Read our Saturday previews:

'He should go very well' - key quotes and analysis for Haydock's £100,000 Silver Bowl Handicap 

'He's not drawn the best' - can Group 1 winner Live In The Dream make successful seasonal debut at Haydock? 

Camille Pissarro out to confirm huge promise of Navan victory in the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes 

Can Musidora runner-up Francophone defy quick turnaround to go one better in Goodwood Listed event? 

Unbeaten Commonwealth Cup favourite Vandeek returns in Sandy Lane - but soft ground 'is not ideal' 

Art Power faces tough competition as he bids for successive wins in fiercely competitive Greenlands Stakes 

'He’s much more versatile ground-wise and has a rock-solid chance' - Richard Hannon holds strong Irish 2,000 Guineas hand 

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