Another competitive big field Irish handicap on a Course where the undulations and configuration tend to support Course experts and Course and Distance form.

 

Its hard to totally rule out the chances of many and the likes of Born Famous and Room To Roam at big odds wouldn't be without a chance on a going day. Larkfield Legacy is an intriguing one who tends to drop itselef out mid race and then come again with a late (too late) rattle and one day it will click. The Mare Sean Says came very very close to a selection on pure form and my only niggle if the jockey who has riden her on the Flat but not over jumps and another one I found it very hard to leave out at nice odds is Enemi Public who has some very good Course form and who is on an eye catching mark especially here. ENEMI PUBLIC would therefore be my reserve if any of the 3 selections didn't run.

 

Shamrock N Roll needs to finish a race after a couple of mishaps and will be a danger when it does, The Dancing Farrier has a good chance if getting the trip here,and I have similar trip niggles about the ex Tom Lacy trained KIng Ferdinand, Cahirdown Boy is another who has to conclusively prove stamina and at the top of the market GOODNIGHTGODBLESS who I tipped as an excellent runner up in December would have been a nailed on pick apart from the break waiting for better ground and a past history that suggests that even off a couple of months away it would usually benefit from its first run back.

 

I wasleft with 3 about whom I have real confidence.

 

BEATING THE ODDS is in the Tracker, it's best runs in recent times are all here at Thurles, over Course and Distance and 3 miles so I have no course concerns, no trip concerns and I think the usually decent Going here contributes very much to the Course record of the horse. Those last 2 runs have been off a mark of 98 and 99 and today's mark of 97 is therefore spot on. It's primed to run a similar race and frankly can have no excuses for not doing so. The same applies to MERRY MOVES who hs an excellent chance on some bits of form off today's mark, its another in the Tracker and having been very highly tried last time this is absolutely a level it can win at. The icing on the cake is very much the booking of Derek O'Connor and his expertise against the relative inexperience of the lass on Sean Says was a vital part of my logic for picking this one and not Sean Says nor Enemi Public. The dark horse of the race in many ways is JOHNGUS and this one is probably the least well known to you. Its been on the P2P fields and Hunter chasing but is another with very solid Course form under Rules and is confiedent and running well enough to have an excellent chance today.