Today saw one of the forfeit stages for horses looking to go into the big Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket on Dewhurst Stakes weekend and after today there are still 57 hopefuls in with a chance of winning of the race.
The stand out names that have been left in come from all over but the Irish raiders from the national hunt trainers yard Willie Mullins look to be the pick of the bunch with the leading trainer still have seven horses in the mix.
The entry that sets the headlines going for the £500,000 prize is the 2016 Cheltenham Festival winner Limini. The Rich Ricci owned seven year old this season has been seen over the jumps and the flats looking more than likely to stay over the flats now in long distance contests.
She was twice seen at the Galway festival in the summer and then showed her class on the flats by winning at Leopardstown on Irish champions weekend when just getting up on the line in the Petingo Handicap over 1 mile 5 furlongs.
The other six from the Mullins camp that could feature in the Dubai Class 2 £500,000 Cesarewitch Handicap are the beaten Ebor favourite Stratum, Chelkar, Law Girl and Low Sun also owned by Rich Ricci, Uradel and Whiskey Sour owned by Luke McMahon.
It doesn't just stop there for the Irish horses and trainers with the ever consistent Aiden O'Brien looking to get involved in the spoils and he brings a strong team into the fold.
Still in the mix for the Ballydoyle based trainer is Cypress Creek, who won the Group 3 Loughbrown Stakes at Naas on Sunday, Southern France, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Family tree and Victory Salute.
Another notable selection still in the 57 named for the Cesarewitch is Vis A Vis for Neil Mulholland but the big hype around this horse is the jockey on board and the current champion flat jockey Silvestre De Sousa has got the leg up.
The Brazilian has won this race for the last two years after winning it in 2016 on Sweet Selection and then last year on the Ralph Beckett trained Withold who looks to be heading for the Melbourne cup.
He is looking for his hat trick on Vis A Vis and has a strong chance after Mulholland revealed he has been saving this horse for the £500,000 prized race at Newmarket since August.