DERMOT WELD may not have dominated last week’s Galway Festival to the extent he usually does, but the Curragh trainer has an excellent chance of a Group Three victory in the Give Thanks Stakes at Cork on Tuesday.
Weld is responsible for two useful fillies in this €75,000 mile-and-a-half contest, including his odds-on Navan winner Zhukova, although his primary hope most definitely appears to be the 99-rated Zannda.
After beating Saturday’s Nassau runner-up Wedding Vow at Leopardstown in April, this daughter of Azamour also filled the runner-up berth in Newmarket’s Pretty Polly Stakes behind Pleascach in the Blue Wind at Naas and she sets a rock-solid standard.
Jim Bolger’s older filly Altesse has put up two good efforts this term without winning, finishing second to Panama Hat at Roscommon and Massinga here in April. She may be the biggest danger to Zannda.
Weld raises another of his three-year-old fillies’ ambitions when Eshera steps up into Listed company on the back of a Curragh maiden success, but she comes up against some established performers in the mile Platinum Stakes.
Heading this list is Wychwood Warrior, who has made the frame twice at this level.
Eshera may well be good enough. She certainly looked above average when going in at the Curragh and the form has been franked since.
Only Mine ran a belter to just go under in a Group Three on the Irish Derby fixture and is sure to be a warm order in the opening two-year-old maiden over six furlongs.
Octavia was just denied by Plough Boy at Down Royal and with the winner then going mighty close at the Galway Festival, David Marnane’s consistent grey should be a major player in the seven-furlong fillies’ handicap. But she’s 8lb higher for that Down Royal success and might have plenty on her plate. I’d be happy to take her on with David Wachman’s Booker.
Fran Berry should also pick up the final rice on Tipperary winner Russian Roulette. Upped 11lb for that easy victory, he can go in again at the expense of Settle For Red.
Northern Rocked was one of Weld’s favourites who performed below his best at Ballybrit and is out to make amends in the apprentice handicap, but he shouldn’t beat Frozen Rock, running in his first handicap for John Oxx.
THE first of the three-year-old hurdles kicks off Roscommon’s National Hunt on Tuesday.
Most of these were ordinary enough on the level but King Christophe showed a fair level of ability and if he can transfer that to jumps, he should prove hard to beat. He was impressive when winning a Limerick handicap off a mark of 84 back in April and was far from disgraced when fifth in the Ulster Derby in June.
Lagostovegas is perhaps the best of the others on the Flat and gained reward for a couple of decent runs previously when scoring at Killarney last month.
Tony Martin’s Beau Et Sublime has an opportunity to get off the mark in the Eurona Brisknet Maiden Hurdle. This appears to be the easiest task he’s faced to date after some strong bumper form and a few good runs over flights.
The form of his fourth last time to Adimelo has stood up well. Even though the winner was a bit disappointing in Galway, when his jumping let him down, the second and third have both won since.
Brog Deas Nua comes here off the back of a couple of decent runs on the Flat but he would probably need to step up a bit on the form of his sole hurdles outings when he was well-beaten by Lone Star at Tramore last October.
The beginners’ chase appears ordinary enough but Gallant Tip already has an official mark of 123 over fences and this affords him an opportunity to capitalise. It’s debatable if he would have held on when crashing out at the last in a handicap chase at Tipperary last month won by Coldstonesobertime but it was still a big run and if that tumble hasn’t left a mark he looks well capable of taking a beginners’ contest of this standard.
Connections were keen to go chasing with former pointer Deputy’s Pass after he took his maiden hurdle here last month and he is very much the one Gallant Tip has to beat.
Paul Gilligan’s Harangue went close at his local course when just thwarted by Slygufftouover hurdles at Ballybrit on Sunday and has a chance of going one better here in the stronger of the two handicap chases.
