Johnny Ward's Irish Racing Tips: Lydia looks exciting prospect

The weather has been stunning this weekend and the ground at both Limerick and Naas will have been drying out lots. Be lucky!

This mare should have far too much pace for these if she returns in shape. Her form reads really well, notably hammering the smart Bigbadandbeautiful on her second start, running well behind Colreevy and Exit Poll before hacking up at Navan when last seen. If all is well she should win. Typical of her sire Jeremy, she has lots of class.

The strange thing about Cosmic Vega is that Jessica Harrington said he probably wanted better ground after he won on his debut but he has never run on ground without soft in the description - if not heavy. He was rated 96 initially but reappears for Mick Halford off 85 and it is notable that he starts him here.

This is always a handicap full of intrigue. Wesley Joyce is back aboard this Make Believe colt whose one poor run at two came on heavy terrain. Prior to that, at Naas, he went down fighting in third in a lucrative race in which he had horses rated 88, 87 and 86 behind, knuckling down well under pressure and not unbacked despite having plenty on his plate. He's a price here and has scope off 83 on those juvenile runs.

The Gurkha isn't going to be a sensational stallion but it seems inevitable his progeny will need time and that has to be the case for Tosen Lydia, a fine big sort who, despite hardly being an obvious type to show her best as a juvenile and the challenges of the track, pretty much bolted up at Bellewtown on her only start at two – for a yard that rarely has them winning on debut. She looks very exciting at three and has to go close here if building on her promise.