GER Lyons’s modus operandi for today’s Goffs Million (3.40) was simple. Anything “alive, kicking and ready to run” would be declared.

That makes perfect sense in a contest worth €1.23 million in total, with prize money running all the way down to 10th place. The winner will take home a cool €610,000 but even if you finish eighth, it’s roughly the same sort of prize as winning a listed race, so it’s a big opportunity for all involved.

The Meath trainer has four to go to war with - My Mate Alfie, Storm Miami, Beauty Thunder and Soldier’s Empire - and though their winning chance has been compromised by the presence of Aidan O’Brien’s Lowther runner-up Cherry Blossom, Lyons will be disappointed if he can’t take a significant haul from the sizeable pot.

“My Mate Alfie’s run at Gowran Park was big (conceding 16lb when second to Nemonte),” Lyons told The Irish Field. “He is a big, strong, tough horse. You need something like him for this type of race.

“Aidan’s horse looks like the one but my horse should improve for that last run. I’d imagine the ground is going to be horrible and tacky but he doesn’t mind juice so it won’t bother him.”

Like My Mate Alfie, Storm Miami has plenty of experience with four starts, but will have her first run over seven furlongs.

“I think that is the right thing to do with her,” Lyons said. “She is a lovely, light filly, and she is stakes placed already. I think the improvement will come with stepping up in trip. She wouldn’t want it bottomless so the drying ground will suit her. Again we’re looking for a good share of the prize money.”

Beauty Thunder got off the mark at the third time of asking at Roscommon, while Soldier’s Empire has the least experience of Lyons’ quartet, having finished third at Leopardstown on his sole run so far.

“Beauty Thunder is a lovely horse and he goes on the ground,” Lyons said “He’s there to get his share of the prize money. He won his maiden and he held this entry and I just said that anything that was alive and kicking was going that road.

“Soldier’s Empire, believe it or not, is the main one the lads would want to ride. It’s the bad ground that would put them off. If he was running with good in the description, you’d fancy him. If the ground went really bad, we’d have a decision to make.”

Four of the six lining up in the Beresford Stakes (2.30) won reasonably impressively last time out but take a significant step up in class in the Group 2, and with Paddy Twomey’s Deepone coming here after finishing fourth in the Champion Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown, this could be a very informative contest.

Stromberg, a wide margin winner at long odds-on for both of his previous starts, was marginally favourite last night. His trainer Joseph O’Brien told The Irish Field: “He’s done nothing wrong. He steps up in class here and we will have a fair idea of where he is after this.

“He’ll handle the ground and he’s progressive.”