Side with proven Classic form over potential as high-class fillies line up in fascinating Irish 1,000 Guineas

Sunday's Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas invites a wide variety of potential narratives. Besides the habitual consideration of Aidan O'Brien's challenge for an Irish Classic, we can look at the live possibility of a first one for either Karl Burke, Willie McCreery or Paddy Twomey, and assess the prospect of Curragh veteran Dermot Weld making it a hat-trick in a race he won for the first time 42 years ago.

That range of human interest accounts for ten of the 14 runners in a field that includes two previous Group 1 winners.

Opera Singer heads O'Brien's four-strong team. The daughter of Justify took a while to show her ability as a juvenile. She came good with a sparkling course-and-distance Group 3 victory in August before delivering a powerful front-running display in the Prix Marcel Boussac. Physically, she appeared then to have all the attributes needed for a top-level campaign at three. However, the possible influence of her dam on her War Front-sired half-sisters Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna adds a cautionary note.