Ballyogan Stakes Preview 7.30 Leopardstown Thursday

There will be plenty of people hoping that Tickled Pink can lift this Group 3 prize following the sad news of the death of her trainer Sir Henry Cecil on Tuesday. Lady Cecil has been granted a temporary licence by the BHA and has runners at four different venues on Thursday.

Tickled Pink finished runner-up on her first three starts before losing her maiden tag at Yarmouth in June last year. Although she won comfortably enough, she remained a relatively unknown quantity when reappearing in the Group 3 Abernant Stakes.

She was quite well supported in the market and made all of the running under Tom Queally to defeat Jimmy Styles, Move In Time and Hawkeyethenoo. They are all seasoned sprinters so she was entitled to take her chance in the Group 2 Duke Of York Stakes last month.

She put up a disappointing display and could do no better than ninth behind Royal Ascot-bound Society Rock and Lethal Force. She may have most to fear from the Tommy Stack-trained Scream Blue Murder.

The filly was unlucky to come up against Cristoforo Colombo and Sky Lantern in her first two races as a two-year-old before breaking her maiden easily at Bellewstown. She stayed on well to chase home the speedy Maarek at Naas before winning a Listed race at Nottingham.

Second and third were Hoyam and Restiadargent so the form certainly looks good enough to give her a chance in this company. Clive Cox sends over Place In My Heart after two solid efforts from the filly. She ran on well over five furlongs to finish third in a bunch finish for a Group 3 at Longchamp last time out and should prove equally effective over the six furlongs here.

You can never leave Aidan O’Brien’s horses out of calculations and he runs Irish 1000 Guineas fifth Hanky Panky. That race was a big step up in class for the daughter of Galileo but she acquitted herself well and cannot be ruled out.

Jim Bolger’s Tobann chased home Reply on her last start so could get a boost if her conqueror prevails in the preceding race on the card. She won at Gowran Park in April over seven furlongs on soft ground. Curragh winner Fiesolana and the consistent Boston Rocker may prove best of the rest.