Ireland's Eye on Sunday

Sunday 5 July

IRELAND'S EYE 

Market Rasen, Limerick and Sligo are the three meets which we pin our hopes for success today and there are a couple of long priced potential winners in a couple of the handicaps at both Irish tracks while two former pointers (one English) can oblige at Market Rasen.
 
Once more we showed profit from our four selections yesterday when we registered a brace of winners through Older And Wiser (5/2-2/1) and our nap Sea The Stars (4/6-4/7) landed the Eclipse Stakes in brilliant style while our saver Jewel Of The Nile just finished out of the frame.

The Swinbank yard are having another fine season and their decent three time bumper winner Shiwawa has come back from an absence this season to record a brace of hurdle wins at Aintree and Stratford, giving away a stone to the runner up on the latter occasion. The Brian Hughes ridden 7yo has to give a stone or more to his rivals in the 2m 3f novice hurdle at Market Rasen today at 2-50 and though this looks a winnable contest he could struggle to give the weight away to the former point winner Plenty Of Chat from the in form Tim Vaughan yard. A winner at Laurencetown for Timmy Hyde the Oscar 5yo has shown a decent level of consistency in bumpers in Ireland and though he was not foot perfect on his hurdle debut for present yard in an average Worcester 3m maiden hurdle where he faded in the latter stages to finish ten length adrift of the more experienced Silver Bay. He should be suited by the drop back in distance and boasts experience on a right handed track (unlike the favourite) and has shown he can handle the better ground and he could be more suited by the distance of this contest with a slight question mark against the likely favourite. The exasperating former Irish Iron Hague from the Oliver Brennan yard (zero from 34) could prove the main danger to our choice with Tony McCoy on board.
 
Six time point and hunter chase winner Knighton Combe did us a favour at generous odds when easily landing an average Uttoxeter 2m 7f handicap chase over three weeks ago for the Jamie Snowdon yard. The 9yo looks to be in the form of his life and though the handicapper has slapped him with an 8lb penalty this Daryl Jacob ridden gelding could make it 2 from 2 over fences proper in the extended 2m 6f hc chase at Market Rasen at 3-50 with ground to suit. His main danger could come from the potent Johnjo O’Neill/Tony McCoy combination who are represented by the relatively unexposed (over fences) Tempsford who is admittedly making his seasonal debut but the 9yo has run fresh in the past, gets 5lbs from the selection and the O’Neill yard have landed 2 of the past 8 runnings of the contest. He has scored twice from six starts over fences and looked unlucky to be beaten by the minimum margin by Ngong Hills (dual winner in interim) over 3m 1f at Wetherby when last seen in October of 2008 and is now just 2lbs higher.
 
Bottom weight William McMahons Onecoolturtle is a speculative punt in an open looking 2m 4f hc hurdle at Sligo at 4-15. A fortunate winner of a Dromahane point as a 4yo on good ground where the subsequent dual Park winner Mollys Garden was destined for second only to be brought down at the last he has shown signs that a small handicap could be within his grasp on a couple of occasions. He may have needed his first run for over four months when fading well out of contention at Ballinrobe over 5 weeks ago and as a son of Turtle Island he should be suited by plenty of cut in the ground and off 10-1 here with Niall Madden on board he could spring a surprise at the expense of Berties Dream who has shown progression in two trips to England of late while Oscar Glory has shown signs of returning to the form that saw him land a Kilbeggan 2m 6f handicap over two years ago off a two pound lower mark.
 
Joe Crowley and Robert Power can combine to land the second division of the 2m 1f novice chase at Limerick at 4-25 with the three time hurdle winner Paco Jack. The 5yo jumped well on his chase debut when having to give best from the last to Red Vinto over two and a half miles at Kilbeggan over a month ago and the 119 rated hurdler may just prove more effective dropped to this distance and he could take the spoils here at the expense of another once raced chaser Schindler’s Gold who looks likely to improve in the jumping department following his modest second placing to the more experienced Farinelli at Tipperary over this trip. Tony Martins stable seem to be coming into form and his Dream Champion (0 from 7 over fences) hold claims on his close second in a 2m 4f hc chase at Down Royal last time whilst the Willie Mullins trained Norwich Boy cannot be dismissed on the strength of his couple of efforts to date over fences though the 7yo may be best over further.
 
Willie Mullins is bidding to make it back to back victories in the extended 2m 3f novice chase at Limerick at 4-55 where he is represented by Red Vinto and Sonnium. Ruby Walsh gets the leg up on the former who looks set to go off favourite on the strength of his three and a half length defeat of Paco Jack (who runs earlier on the card) at Kilbeggan on his chase debut over two and a half miles but his subsequent fourth at Clonmel on firm was somewhat disappointing. The vote goes to the Paul Townend ridden Sonnium however as the 5yo is of a similar ability to his stable mate and he made a fine chase debut when scoring over 2m 7f at Tipperary in admittedly a slow time from the consistent Sanglote and also gets a valuable 4lbs age allowance.
 
Trainer Eugene O’Sullivan has not been on the score sheet for some time but the Cork trainer could be on the mark with the former point winner See Double You in the extended 2m 3f hc chase at Limerick (5-25) off a favourable mark. The Clonakilty maiden point winner has been running reasonably well in four runs over fences on a softish surface but was far from disgraced on better ground last time over three miles on this course where he had a subsequent good winner Valerius three placings and less than ten lengths in advance three weeks ago. The selection will be suited by middle distance trips and this test could just prove the answer for the 6yo and with Martin Ferris taking off 3lbs he can score at generous odds from recent Southwell novice handicap chase winner Best Of The Lot (who will be suited by the forecast ground) from the Gilligan yard with Davy Russell on board. Another to consider is the unexposed King Ali while first reserve Tubber Gael Holly (recent winner of modest Stratford 2m 4f hc chase) would prove a big danger if he gets into the contest.
 
ADVICE
4pt win PLENTY OF CHAT 2-50 Market Rasen
lay to lose 6pts SHIWAWA 2-50 Market Rasen
4pt win KNIGHTON COMBE 3-50 Market Rasen
2pt win (saver) TEMPSFORD 3-50 Market Rasen
2pt win ONECOOLTURTLE 4-15 Sligo
1pt win (savers) OSCAR GLORY and BERTIES DREAM 4-15 Sligo
4pt win PACO JACK 4-25 Limerick
1pt (savers) SCHINDLER’S GOLD and NORWICH BOY 4-25 Limerick
5pt win (nap) SONNIUM 4-55 Limerick
2pt win (saver) RED VINTO 4-55 Limerick
3pt win 1pt place SEE DOUBLE YOU 5-25 Limerick
1pt win (saver) BEST OF THE LOT 5-25 Limerick

We are now recording the daily profit and loss of Ireland's Eye to help readers gauge the current form of the service. We will provide the profit / loss on the previous day to a £1 level stake on each selection (eg: a 5 point bet = a £5 stake). In the interests of consistency the profit / loss will be recorded at SP prices, however BETDAQ users can reasonably expect to beat SP in the majority of races.

Saturday's Return was: PROFIT 2.43 points