A decent Handicap Chase on this galloping track where stamina is a virtue and it pays to have a strong travelling horse who can run fairly prominenly. We had a nice 9/1 winner here at the last meeting with just that type of horse so lets try to find the winner and some each way value today.

 

The top 3 in the market look very solid and tough to beat. R'evelyn Pleasure won at Punchestown off a mark of 111, was then runner up last time off a mark of 124 at Thurles, gets a couple more pounds and very solid. SOVEREIGN GOLD is a 3 mile P2P winner bought along nicely by Henry De Bromhead. This trip is a better fit than the shorter one last time and it travelled beautifully in that race and went into many notebooks. Will want further in time but this track will allow the horse to get in to a nice rhythm and the uphill finish will suit the stamina angles. Lean Araig is a solid horse, rarely runs a bad race, likely place banker and a benchmark to rate the others by in terms of collateral form.

 

I suggest a TRICAST Perm on those three and a win bet (or each way if you can get 4/1 or better) on SOVERIGN GOLD.

 

Of the remainder, A Great View is good enough over hurdles to have run in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, I'm not sure this is anything but a spin over Fences for fitness and to protect a mark though. The Echo Boy was a facile and impressive winner before Christmas at Fairyhouse, but flopped at Navan, the Fairyhouse race hasn't really been franked form wise and the heavier Going is a concern. Ask Nile has top weight, the trip is ideal, the Going may not be and it may still need this run. Those 3 are all big dangers but I don't think worth an investment for the reasons stated.

 

Minella Till Dawn was pulled up last time in the Troytown, this is clearly an easier race than that, has an obvious chance on basis of a win at Cork off 116 but a mark of 126 and niggles about the absence since the Troytown just put me off. If it is available at double figure Odds at any point would may be worth a bit of shrapnel.

 

Drumacoo who is better over Hurdles is eased relatively in terms of grade and won't lie down easily and Jammy George has bits of UK form for Harry Whittington that give it a glimmer of a place chance and use of a tongue tie and drop in trip are worth noting. Gun Digger is a typically sour and out of form Elliott horse who could revive and win at any time and very similar in recent runs as to when it won a 25k race at Leopardstown last March off a similar mark....one for an Elliott quid each way .....you know the drill.

 

The one I do think can outrun nice each way Odds is ALLARDYCE who won over this trype of trip at Cork in 2018 and before that at Limerick. It has been largely kept to shorter trips since then winning off 108 and 116 over 2 miles and in heavy and over this Course. After 2 quiet runs they now come back to that longer trip and I find the move fascinating and it could be a very well handicapped springer.

 

PLUS suggestions (small Tricast perm SG with R'evelyn Pleasure + Elliott £1 e/w on Gun Digger 40/1 and Minella Til Dawn 12/1)