7-1 WINNER IN SHAMROCK’S 23-1 TREBLE: Shamrock landed three doubles and a 23-1 treble in his Saturday yankee with Sizing Europe (nap, WON 11-8), Staying Article (next best, WON 7-1) and Sir Des Champs (WON 2-7). He tries another one at the big Fairyhouse trials meeting today.
12.50 Fairyhouse (Royal Bond Novice Hurdle) Hurricane Fly, Dunguib, Zaidpour.. Can the Royal Bond, which launched the likes of Istabraq, maintain its current flow of riches?
With three winners apiece in the race, Willie Mullins is in pole position with Sous Les Cieux but Noel Meade has a formidable rival in Il Fenomeno.
Sous Les Cieux looked something special on the course last month and I can’t see the drop from 2m 4f affecting his chance. Il Fenomeno is a bigger obstacle.
In fact, Il Fenomeno (Group 3 Capanelle) and Galileo’s Choice (Group 3 Leopardstown) have top class standing on the Flat.
I couldn’t choose between them so it left me with the choice of Sous Les Cieux at around even money, or to take odds on the two against him. A rock and a hard place, betting wise.
Fascinating stuff and it falls to my lot to make a single choice: my answer is that Sous Les Cieux’s stamina and his known ability on heavy ground make him the one on the day. Risky stuff, though, so keep your stakes down and save the big money for Cheltenham.
1.20 Fairyhouse (Drinmore Novice Chase) Good horses come from this one, too. But it has also produced too many let-downs, like Watson Lake (fourth, then sixth at Cheltenham) and the luckless Pandorama.
Davy Russell’s Gigginstown choice is First Lieutenant and, though Bog Warrior’s form at 2m has been franked, ‘Lieutenant’ looks the likelier lad at 2m 4f.
The Racing Post has strangely made Bog Warrior favourite – that’s a tip not a betting forecast! – but First Lieutenant has taken his rightful place at the head of the Betdaq market this morning.
1.50 Fairyhouse (Hatton’s Grace Hurdle) Again the theory, from jockeys’ choice, is that Mourad is the number one for Willie Mullins. I can’t really see Final Approach’s MCR Hurdle (January) and Cheltenham County Hurdle (March) double being good enough.
Mourad has had to play second, or third, fiddle behind Big Buck’s, Quevega and Thousand Stars in successive tests at Cheltenham, Punchestown and Auteuil but holds Voler La Vedette on their running in the Punchestown World Hurdle Series.
The Real Article is the improver and 5.1 looks good until you remember that he has to make the leap forward to 2m 4f in this class. He’s won a bumper over the trip but six of his seven successes have come over 2m.
At least Ruby Walsh knows he has plenty of horse under him at this trip and Mourad may grind it out in the mud.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: First Lieutenant (1.20 Fairyhouse)
NEXT BEST: Mourad (1.50 Fairyhouse)
DAQ YANKEE: Sam Bass (1.20 Fairyhouse), Sous Les Cieux (12.50 Fairyhouse), First Lieutenant (1.20 Fairyhouse), Mourad (1.50 Fairyhouse).
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