'This race has been in our minds for a while' - can Special Wan end the dominance of Ger Lyons?

Ger Lyons has been the go-to man of late in this Group 3, which has been transferred from Fairyhouse to Leopardstown. Thanks to Zarinsk last year and Marbling the year before he is now chasing a hat-trick in the 7f contest for fillies and mares, while he also won it in 2015 with Ainippe and in 2016 with Queen Catrine. 

What's noteworthy about his four winners is that none was favourite. Indeed, two of them were 14-1. 

Wendla, Lyons' sole representative this time around, won't be favourite either, but she deserves a second look given the best performance of her career came at this track in May. 

That was in a fillies' Group 3 over 7f when Colin Keane rode everything to sleep, Wendla keeping up the gallop to score by three-quarters of a length from Buttons. The runner-up went on to finish fourth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and is now rated 104. 

Wendla has since tried a mile and a quarter at the Curragh, but she was held up to get the trip and didn't stay. Expect her to return to more prominent tactics this time. 

Special Wan is the obvious one. She hit an in-running low of 1-5 on the Betfair Exchange in a Group 3 over this course and distance last time, but couldn't get by the battle-hardened Mutasarref. There was no shame in that given it was only the fourth start of her life. She's back against her own sex here and will be dangerous. 

Everlasting ran reasonably well in the Sandringham, finishing 11th of 30, while Jumbly is a specialist over this trip and should not be underestimated if she lines up, which seems unlikely. 

The two unknowns are Red Viburnum and Jancis. Both are maiden winners with untapped potential. Perhaps the Dermot Weld-trained Red Viburnum will be the one to take the biggest jump forward. She ran in the Moyglare on the back of one run, which is not a very Rosewell House thing to do, especially when she didn't win on debut. She must be smart. 

What they say 

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Jumbly and Thornbrook
Jumbly is unlikely to run. Hopefully there won’t be too much more rain so Thornbrook can take her chance. It'd be great to get her back on track after a slightly below-par seasonal debut.

Pat Foley, trainer of Special Wan
This race was in our minds even before she ran in the Ballycorus. That was a cracking effort and at least we don't have colts and geldings against us this time. That said, it still looks a very decent race. The trip is ideal and hopefully she's good enough. We wouldn't like to see any more rain, however.

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Everlasting
We're coming back in trip and trying seven furlongs again. She didn't run badly in the Sandringham and seems to have come out of it in good shape.

Dermot Weld, trainer of Red Viburnum
She had a hold-up in the spring, but she came back and made a nice winning reappearance at Naas. Hopefully she can be competitive.

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