Ireland today

Two meetings in Ireland this afternoon, with a good flat card at Naas and jumping from Listowel. Main feature at Naas is the Group 3 Fillies Sprint Stakes for 2yo´s over 6 furlongs at 17.40 CET. The top-class Cuis Ghaire won this last year for Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning, and they can follow up this time with Kitty Kiernan, an easy winner of her only start so far, beating Lillie Langtry (Aidan O´Brien/ Johnny Murtagh) by 2 1/2 lengths over this CD. The latter renews rivalry and should make more of a race of it today, but there seems no obvious reason why she should reverse the form. What about Me (Brian Nolan/ Declan Moran) has also won her only start, beating Wrong Answer (Kevin Prendergast/ Chris Hayes) at Cork, and the latter has won twice since. Another unbeaten runner is Marco Botti´s Electric Feel (Pat Smullen), the only British runner, who scored in good style at Newmarket. This looks a strong race, and the winner can be expected to play in the top league this season. The listed sprint race over 5 furlongs at 16.40 should go to the in-form team of David and Adrian Nicholls with Inxile, disqualified after beating Mood Music at Longchamp last time, and a CD winner before that. Dahindar (John Oxx/ Mick Kinane), who has not run since November 2007, is a possible danger. At Listowel there are the usual large fields. Willie Mullins continues in top form, and has chances in the 3 handicaps with Jasmin d´Oudaires at 16.20, top-weight Jim the Falcon at 16.50 and Polmar half an hour later; all will be ridden by David Casey, with Ruby Walsh still out of action with a broken ankle

JJ the Jet Plane at Windsor this evening

Whit Monday is no longer a holiday in the U.K., so we have a normal Monday programme, and easily the best racing is at Windsor´s evening fixture, where the main event is a listed race over 6 furlongs at 20.55 CET. All eyes will be on JJ the Jet Plane (Mike de Kock/ Ryan Moore), one of the world´s best sprinters, who is being prepared for a crack at Royal Ascot´s Golden Jubilee. The S. African champion, last seen winning at Dubai in February, will probably need the race and has to concede weight all round, but should still win this. Icelandic (Frank Sheridan/ Seb Sanders), third in an Irish Group Three last time, Edge Closer, from the in-form team of Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes, and Hughie Morrison´s pair Intrepid Jack (George Baker) and Sohraab (Eddie Ahern), are the pick of the opposition. Feature of Thirsk´s evening card is the presence of top jockey Jamie Spencer, who can win the mile handicap at 19.40 with Alan McCabe´s Follow the Flag, the 7 furlongs maiden with Do c Jones and the handicap over the same trip half an hour later with Secret Society. This afternoon´s racing at Leicester and Carlisle is mainly poor; particularly disappointing is the feeble turn-out for Leicester´s class 2 event for fillies at 16.30. Only 4 run here, none of them normally up to this standard.

Chantilly today

Chantilly today stages the first of its big summer Sunday meetings, featuring 3 Group Two races. The Grand Prix d Chantilly over 2400 metres at 16.05 has attracted a weaker field than usual, and injured German hope Adlerflug would undoubtedly have had a big chance here. The much-improved Magadan (Elli Lellouche/ Antony Crastus) is now likely to start a hot favourite, although there is not much between him and Ideal World (André Fabre/ Stephane Pasquier). The Prix de Sandringham for 3yo fillies over a mile at 15.30 is a trial for the Diane here in 2 weeks time. German-owned Regane (Alain de Royer-Dupré/ Gerald Mossé) looked smart when winning first time out, but faces stiff opposition from Entre Deux Eaux (Robrt Collet/ Christophe Soumillon), Homebound (Jean-Claude Rouget/ Christophe Lemaire) and Celebra (Carlos Laffon-Parias/ Olivier Peslier). The Prix du Gros-Chene over 1000 metres at 16.40 is a rematch between Marchand d´Or (Freddie Head/ Davy Bonilla) and Equiano (Barry an d Michael Hills), first and second here last year.

Marchand dÓr is theoretically the best horse in the field, but has flopped disastrously his last 3 starts, including at Longchamp last time when well behind German challenger Mood Music (Mario Hofer/ Maxime Guyon), who was awarded the race in the stewards room. With runners from 4 countries, this is a very open affair, and maybe Tax Free (David and Adrian Nicholls) can score. Other German runners here are Adamatinos (Erika Mäder/ Thierry Steeger) in the 1200 metres race for "gentleman-riders" at 14.10, Grazilla (Andreas Trybuhl/ Jerome Lermyte), who has bottom-weight in the mares handicap over 2200 metres at 14.50, Kazoma Kate (Manfred Weber/ Jean-Michel Breux) in the second division at 18.20, and Nanigata (Werner Baltromei/ Flavien Prat) in the mile claimer at 17.45.