Tom Red
Racing this afternoon (Thursday) is at Thurles, with a national hunt card starting at 11.45 am, featuring the Red Mills EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle. Tomorrow afternoon the postponed card at Fairyhouse (from last Tuesday week) goes ahead at 12 pm.
Saturday afternoon sees day one of a two-day festival meeting at Punchestown featuring the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle, starting at 11.30 am. Sunday’s card features the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle, off at 11.43 am. There is also racing at Cork on Monday featuring the Kevin McManus Bookmaker Handicap Chase, away at 11.30 am.
Coverage on TV starts on Saturday with coverage of four races from Haydock and four from Ascot including two Grade 2 races, the Ladbrokes 1965 Chase and the Ladbrokes Ascot Hurdle on ITV and Virgin Media 1. They also cover the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle from Punchestown. On Sunday, RTÉ 2 cover four races from Punchestown including the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Chase and the Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice Chase.
Navan on Saturday was postponed to Monday where five horses ran in the Lismullen Hurdle, with Lorna Fowler’s outsider 12/1 shot Colonel Mustard beating Gordon Elliott’s The Yellow Clay, odds-on favourite. The Fortria Chase also had five runners, with Elliott getting compensation when 5/2 Found A Fifty beat WP Mullins’ Dinoblue, 11/8 favourite. On Sunday, Kalypso’chance gave Elliott and Kennedy a double at the meeting, beating The Big Clubman in the Monksfield Novice Hurdle.
There were 19 runners in the Troytown Chase won by 11/1 chance Answer To Kayf, trained by Terence O’Brien and ridden by 3lb claimer John Shinnick. O’Brien has the Paddy Power at Leopardstown or the Welsh National at Ayr in mind for his star, but it is dependent on the going being guaranteed soft.
In the Beginners Chase, Mullins produced Final Demand, first time over the major obstacles, and he produced the best performance of the afternoon to easily beat 11 opponents winning by 13l under Paul Townend. Oldschool Outlaw won the bumper in the hands of Harry Swan to give Elliott a treble.
Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come, but the first race meeting of the season was lost to snow at Hexham yesterday, Wednesday. The meeting had been subject to an early morning inspection following heavy rain, which turned to snow on Tuesday and left the track unraceable.
Punchestown preview
On Saturday, the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle has attracted nine runners, five from Closutton, and they provide the first three in the betting with Anzadam the evens favourite, 3/1 bar.
On Sunday, there are only six in the Novice Chase with Andrew Slattery’s Fleur In The Park, 11/10, disputing favouritism with WP Mullins’ Westport Cove at 6/4 and 4/1 bar.
The John Durkan has 11 entries with Fact To File at evens and Gaelic Warrior 11/4, both trained by WP Mullins. They will not have it all their own way as Fastorslow makes his seasonal debut for Henry de Bromhead.
The 2024 Punchestown Gold Cup winner was fourth in this race last year and Sean Mulryan’s 9-Y-O hopes to add to his win in this race in 2023. De Bromhead’s horse seems to keep his best for Punchestown and is e/w value at 5/1.
Racing news
Marine Nationale’s seasonal debut will have to wait until Leopardstown at Christmas with Barry Connell opting not to run him in the rescheduled Fortria Chase at Navan last Monday as the ground was too testing for his star.
No racing at Hexham!
