Maiden Mohini holds nap appeal for Wachman

Jockey Wayne Lordan

Richard Forristal

David Wachman can get off the mark for the season when he saddles Mohini on the opening fixture of the year at his local track in Tipperary this evening.

The Goolds Cross handler sends Mohini and fellow maiden Chaplin Bay to the Limerick Junction venue.

His long-serving ally Wayne Lordan, who added a Listed win at Cork on Monday to his opening-day Lincoln success, takes the reins on Mohini in the nine-furlong fillies' maiden.

It is an open-looking contest, with Chinese Light on duty for the in-form Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen axis. Lady O'Reilly's Dalakhani filly was third on her Galway bow last year but failed to build on that at Leopardstown next time, albeit in a decent contest behind Tamadhor.

Chinese Light could leave that behind now, but the suspicion is that Mohini has even more scope for improvement at this stage. By Galileo out of a Group One-winning Storm Cat mare, Mohini ran a lovely race on her Curragh debut in October, when she kept on to be sixth over seven furlongs.

She simply looked in need of further, so she is trusted to land today's nap now that she steps up in trip under Lordan (right), who partners Tommy Stack's newcomer Duke Cass in Chaplin Bay's maiden.

Ballydoyle's disappointing Curragh favourite Jacobean is on duty in this and Ger Lyons saddles his Dundalk runner-up Master Of Mayhem, but it will be interesting to see what the market makes of Weld's Radanpour, given that the Aga Khan's first four runners for Weld this term have all won.

Weld and Smullen ought to take the three-runner conditions race with Alkasser, while Sir Raston also has some appeal for the firm in the nine-furlong handicap. He didn't show a whole pile last year, but he sports a first-time visor now on his handicap debut.

In the opening juvenile heat, Austin Leahy's Hasselnott should take a bit of stopping. Fran Berry's mount kept going to be third at the Curragh, so he stands out a little, while Berry might also collect aboard Christy Roche's Dragon Khan in the seven-furlong handicap.

Third at Cork on Saturday, Dragon Khan will handle the forecast slow ground, so he might finally break his duck at the 18th time of asking.