CORK forecast good ground for the all-National Hunt card on Monday, Willie Mullins has only one runner at the Mallow track, Grangeclare Rose in the concluding bumper.
Twice placed in three-mile maiden hurdles at Bellewstown and Wexford, she’s pretty slow but not devoid of stamina and the two-mile-three-furlong trip here will hardly inconvenience her. Should be too good for Don’tdropmein and Brother Gold.
Ruby Walsh didn’t do anything wrong at Galway with just four winners for the week. There weren’t enough of them for his huge following but he goes to Cork for just two rides.
Loyalty Card has a chance in the opening mares’ maiden hurdle after a fair run behind Kris Kindle at Killarney last month. She has Edith Somerville and Hard Fought to overcome. But Ruby must have Tom Taaffe’s 140-rated chaser Gold Bullet as his best chance of a winner on the day.
He’s opposed by just five in the Social Package Hurdle over three miles. Plenty in hand on paper, but he hasn’t raced since his trailing eighth behind Savello in a Punchestown chase in June.
The one he has to beat here is Ballychorus, runner-up to Steel King over this trip at Roscommon in the first week of July. I’d expect the layers to bet these two pretty close together. They’ll hardly get much out of the others unless a fancy develops for Ongenstown Lad.
Barry Geraghty is also in Cork. He rides Rodonga fror Edward O’Grady in the two-mile-three-furlong maiden hurdle and this useful bumper performer is coming back to hurdling after running second to Tesseract at Bellewstown. Over hurdles he ran Modem to five lengths at Navan in December and that is smart form.
He’s improved since and his form reads stronger than that of oft-placed Trainstation and Catalaunian Fields. Hallo Rosie might have place prospects.
Theos Well looks another for Mick Winters in the two-mile handicap hurdle against Rock On Fruity and Myles Ahead while Chief Of Panama might be too good for Ballinrobe protagonists Some Pride and Itsonthelist.
NEVILLE RING
2.05pm: Edith Somerville
2.35pm: Theos Well
3.05pm: Gold Bullet (Dbl)
3.35pm: Theatre Sunset
4.05pm: Roconga (Nap)
4.35pm: Chief Of Panama
5.05pm: Grangeclare Rose
NEXT BEST
2.05pm: Loyalty Card
2.35pm: Rock On Fruity
3.05pm: Ballychorus
3.35pm: Balofilo
4.05pm: Trainstation
4.35pm: Itsonthelist
5.05pm: Don’tdropmein
