Saturday 13 March
IRELAND'S EYE
Tomorrow we will be giving the first of our value bets on the DAQ for next weeks eagerly awaited Cheltenham Festival.
Meanwhile on a low key Saturday we have fixtures at Sandown, Ayr and Chepstow with the feature being the Imperial Cup at the former fixture – normally a race which has some bearing on the County Hurdle next week. Meanwhile in Ireland there is a fair jumps card at Limerick where a former point winner can take a maiden hurdle for a Cork yard while another former point scorer can land a competitive handicap hurdle at Sandown.
Dr Hart (5-10/3) kept our run of winners going yesterday by taking a long distance handicap hurdle at Sandown while our fine run od successful lays continued when Far From Blonde (9/4) could only finish third in the opening mares novice hurdle.
Several runners could be open to plenty of improvement in the curtain raiser at Sandown today – a Grade 3 novice handicap hurdle but the one which will carry our dosh is the former Liam Burke trained point winner Red Harbour. The Old Vic gelding made a bright start to his career by landing a point and a brace of Ascot bumpers on mainly good ground before proving somewhat disappointing over hurdles to date. However the 6yo has not always had his favoured better ground and his last time out second in an Ascot 2m 4f novice hurdle on soft reads a fair effort and with better ground likely here and Ruby Walsh again in the plate he could be running off a fair mark here on his handicap debut and he may account for the forecast favourite Ranjobaie and bottom weight Stoney’s Treasure representing the in form Henderson and King stables respectively.
Though we rowed in with John Kielys mare Liss Na Tintri last time and probably rate ourselves unlucky not to collect as the 6yo fell at the last when challenging in a Punchestown 2m 4f maiden hurdle we will reluctantly desert the daughter of Presenting in the 2m 3f mares maiden hurdle at Limerick today at 2-05.
Our vote goes to another mare who failed to complete last time, namely the strangely named Guzzle And Go who shaped well till toppling at the last behind the useful Arabella Boy on her hurdling debut before finishing a decent third to Prince Of Fire at Leopardstown on better ground over Christmas. The Andrew McNamara ridden 5yo gets the vote to score in her first run for over 2 months and she could have most to fear from former point scorer Royal Crew who looked likely to score at Fairyhouse last time till cut down late having finished a decent third over course and distance on her previous run.
Ballindenisk ‘plunge’ winner Romanesco looked a horse of potential on that occasion but the Henry De Bromhead trained 5yo has since failed to deliver in a couple of bumpers despite attracting plenty of support on both occasions. Though the French bred gelding should go close on his hurdling debut in a 2m 3f maiden at limerick (2-35) today his forecast price looks far from appealing and the vote instead goes to another Ballindenisk point winner in King Maker. The year older John Murphy trained 6yo won a similar maiden to that won by the likely favourite in 2008 and has since run reasonably well n a ‘hot’ bumper’ before making a return to action when finishing a close runner up in a winners point to point at Kildorrery almost three weeks ago. The Eddie Power ridden gelding rates the value bet here but a bigger danger than the favourite could come from the Pat Hughes trained Prince Of Forwards who has been noted staying on at the finish when not beaten wide margins in a bumper and 2m maiden hurdle at Leopardstown and Fairyhouse on soft to heavy on opening efforts this year.
Point, bumper and hurdle winner Knockavilla has not visited the winners enclosure for over two years but the Howard Johnson trained 7yo can regain the winning habit by landing the 2m hc chase at Ayr today at 3-50. The son of Saddlers’ Hall has filled the runner up berth on his last four starts, including all three chase runs but the Ryan Mania ridden gelding should delver here off top weight on the promise of his second placing to the useful hurdler Noble Alan over 2m 1f at Hexham last October on good ground and though he has subsequently lost out by shortish margins in Sedgefield and Uttoxeter novices on soft and heavy ground a return to a surface which saw him land all his three wins (including point) wins to date should see him make the breakthrough over fences over a trip which should suit. His main danger may come from the Ferdy Murphy trained Charingworth who scored over a half mile further at Sedgefield on his chase debut and the 7yo may have needed the run when finishing fourth in a CD handicap a month ago.
1-35 LIMERICK – 2m 5f hc hurdle
Kieran Purcells DUARTIN should be forgiven a below par effort at Fairyhouse last time but a reproduction of his second placing in a heavy ground 2m 2f Punchestown handicap hurdle subsequently off a 5lb lower mark may suffice here with better ground and longer trip in favour of the 7yo. The former point winner Balsaflour can hardly be rated consistent but the Noel Glynn runner could prove dangerous here whilst another course specialist Final Question cannot be left out of calculations either.
2-10 AYR – 2m novice hurdle
Three time Irish point winner KELLYSTOWN LAD opened his account over hurdles at the third time of asking when granted better ground at Musselburgh over 2m 4f and he ran creditably under a penalty when finishing a fair fourth to this weks easy scorer Tara Royal (rec 7lbs) on soft ground last time. Though the Ferdy Murphy trained gelding has to hump a penalty here he could prove up to giving the weight away to Irish challenger and Fairyhouse handicap hurdle winning 4yo Drussell.
ADVICE
BET 4pt win RED HARBOUR 2-00 Sandown
BET 1pt win (savers) RANJOBAIE and STONEY’S TREASURE 2-00 Sandown
BET 4pt win GUZZLE AND GO 2-05 Limerick
BET 1pt win (savers) ROYAL CREW and LISS NA TINTRI 2-05 Limerick
BET 4pt win KING MAKER 2-35 Limerick
BET 2pt win (saver) PRINCE OF FORWARDS 2-35 Limerick
BET 5pt win (nap) KNOCKAVILLA 3-50 Ayr
BET 2pt win (saver) CHARINGWORTH 3-50 Ayr
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