It's looking increasingly likely that SEA THE STARS will be allowed to take his chance in Saturday's Irish Champion Stakes to set up a mouth-watering clash with Fame And Glory, whom he beat a length-and-three-quarters in the Derby.

A final decision won't be made until midday Saturday depending on the state of the ground. If it's soft, he won't run. It's as simple as that. However, officials at Leopardstown are optimistic that conditions will be suitable - it's currently yielding to soft but drying out all the time - and exchange punters at Betfair evidently share their enthusiasm having backed the John Oxx-trained colt into 1.98 having been available at 8.6 earlier this week. Fixed odds bookmakers are generally odds-on, although Victor Chandler and William Hill are prepared to go evens, with Fame And Glory a best-priced 7/4 with Paddy Power.

Of course, it's no two-horse race as Fame And Glory's trainer Aidan O'Brien is also set to run Mastercraftsman (8.6 Betfair), who was no match for STS at York last time, and a couple of pacemakers, while Dermot Weld throws last year's Irish Derby second Casual Conquest (27) into the mix. The no-hopers Grand Ducal and Loch Long complete the field. However, this effectively boils down to a re-match between the big two and I'm hoping for a more satisfactory outcome than the last time they met at Epsom.

That was Fame And Glory's only defeat in six races (has since romped home in the Irish equivalent) and some would argue that he would have won that day had Ballydoyle employed different tactics. Certainly, a stiffer test set by his stablemates would have suited Fame And Glory better as he had never had a chance off the slow pace against his speedier rival, and I'm sure Ballydoyle won't make the same mistake twice. You can expect a furious gallop this time and this race - at a track where he's two from two over the distance - offers the Ballydoyle colt a genuine chance of revenge.

However, STS hasn't exactly been standing in his box since, improving his level of form significantly. While you can pick holes in his Derby form, his performance in winning the Eclipse, in which he found more when challenged to hold off the top-class Rip Van Winkle, was stunning and the form is out of the top drawer. The runner-up has since thrashed Group 1 winners Paco Boy and Ghanaati in the Sussex Stakes, with subsequent King George winner Conduit a well beaten fourth, and Jukebox Jury (twice a Group 2 winner since), trailing in their wake.

Granted, Sea The Star's performance when beating beating Mastercraftsman at York last time wasn't visually impressive, but Mick Kinane reported that his mount was idling and just doing enough to win. Of course, there is a chance he's lost his racing edge after a busy campaign but the vibes from the Oxx stable suggest otherwise and the fact they are keen to run ground permitting is another positive. If he does get the green light, I'm confident this winning machine will have too much speed for Fame And Glory and will go again.

Recommended Bet:

Sea The Stars 5pts @ best morning-line price