‘ABSOLUTE CRACKER’ OF A DAY AT BELLEWSTOWN AND TIPPERARY: Will the ‘Eagle’ be landed at last? Who wins an ‘absolute cracker’ of a Listed? Will three horses on redeeming missions win the money back? Shamrock tries to answer all these questions at Bellewstown and Tipperary.
BELLEWSTOWN: When things go wrong, how to get the money back. The answer with Jeunopse (4.35), a Galway gamble that went astray (hampered), is to drop her to a maiden and call in Nina Carberry (50% at Bellewstown).
And the answer for Ahorsecalledmolly (7.15) is to try the same race again when you’ve just hit form, ‘Molly’ having found one too good in the same event last year.
It’s less of a race this time around but she might have caught another well handicapped against her: Half Full has also just hit form and is half her age. I’ll dutch them.
It doesn’t need a spy glass to spot Inspector Clouseau (5.05) but you need all the clues going to solve the race of the day, the clash between Golden Ticket and Pozyc at 6.10.
Golden Ticket is improving all the time while Pozyc, equally impressive at Galway, stumbled on the bend at Tramore on Sunday and threw away the follow-up. I’ll take a 4.8 ticket to ride but need to dutch with Pozyc.
TIPPERARY: Yet another on a redeeming mission is Northern Rocked (6.30), who looks the business to get Dermot Weld connections their money back after being hampered out of the Topaz Mile at Galway.
Joseph O’Brien, a future champion jockey, has one of his biggest tests today. No, there’s no Classic at Tipperary, except classic Irish craic.
Joseph rides Eagle Canyon, who’s now spent 11 races beating himself. He’s been placed nine times without winning and I reckon you’ll get even money at 4.55, as punters give him the cold shoulder.
But today is different. He’s dropped back to 5f and Joseph’s instructions will be: don’t let him see another horse! It’s the only way with a coward in the playground; make him think the other boys have all gone home.
The Listed is an absolute cracker (7.35), with courageous fillies of two generations – soft ground lover Lolly For Dolly and Rose Bonheur – clashing over this ‘short mile’.
As if that’s not enough you have a John Oxx improver, Alanza, a former Group-1 star raiding from England, Hooray, the French 1,000 Guineas third, Wild Wind, and the Irish 1,000 fourth, Claiomh Solais.
The firm ground will decide it, I feel: Rose Bonheur, Alanza and Wild Wind like to hear their feet rattle, with Wild Wind (a fabulous 9.8 on Betdaq this morning) favoured by the weights but Rose Bonheur (6.0) the big improver.
SHAMROCKS BETS
NAP: Northern Rocked (6.30 Tipperary)
NEXT BEST: Eagle Canyon (4.55 Tipperary)
DUTCH: Golden Ticket and Pozyc (6.10 Bellewstown), Ahorsecalledmolly and Half Full (7.15 Bellewstown), Rose Bonheur and Wild Wind (7.35 Tipperary)
DAQ YANKEE: Jeunopse (4.35 Bellewstown), Eagle Canyon (4.55 Tipperary), Inspector Clouseau (5.05 Bellewstown) and Northern Rocked (6.30 Tipperary)
