Sport

Slowmotion to upstage elders

THE fillies are set to take centre stage on the final day of the Punchestown festival and Slowmotion can upstage her elders in the Mares Champion Hurdle.

Fellow juvenile Jer’s Girl showed at Fairyhouse how advantageous the weight for age allowance is and Joseph O’Brien’s charge can make the most of the 10lb she gets from her rivals on Saturday.

The French import was hugely impressive when winning at Fairyhouse herself, beating a decent field of her peers with contempt. She can handle this step up in grade now and conditions looks perfect for her with a nice ease in the ground guaranteed. The extra couple of furlongs here also looks like it should suit.

Limini looks the obvious one to beat in the Grade One contest and could go to post a warm order to give Willie Mullins another winner this week. She was impressive when winning at Cheltenham but the new mares race at the festival didn’t look the strongest contest. Having been sent off a short price to follow up against the geldings at Aintree she could only finish third to Buveur D’air.

That may have looked a disappointment on the day, but to be fair, the two in front of her then have strong novice form. The winner was previously third in the Supreme Novices, while the runner-up, stable-mate Petit Mouchoir, ran a cracker to finish second again in Grade One company here on Tuesday.

So on form Limini looks solid enough back against her own sex but Slowmotion appears open to plenty of improvement and the 10lb pull may just swing things in her favour.

O’Brien and Mullins also appear to have the two leading contenders in the feature event with Apple’s Jade and Ivanovich Gorbatov set to do battle again in the Champion Four-Year-Old Hurdle.

The former posted one of the performances of the season when blowing away her opposition at Aintree and is hard to oppose on that showing. That was a significant step up having chased home Ivanovich Gorbatov in the Triumph at Cheltenham and, while she was entitled to improve having only her fourth career start, there is no doubt that her rival failed to give his true running.

That may have been due to a combination of slower ground and boiling over slightly pre-race. It is likely to be closer on Saturday, but Apple’s Jade looks capable of confirming her superiority.

Elsewhere on the card, Quantitativeeasing bids for a banks double this week in the opener and his chief danger looks to be stable-mate Cantlow, who chased him home in the La Touche on Thursday.

On The Shannon looks interesting off a feather weight in the Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase. Oliver McKiernan’s gelding wasn’t suited by really heavy ground during the winter and appreciated a slightly better surface when scoring at Fairyhouse last time. There looks more to come from the big son of Presenting.

The Job Is Right ran well over an inadequate trip when third to Thursday’s winner Bright New Dawn at Clonmel last month and might be worth a shot now in the Madra Irish Dog Foods Handicap Chase.

Michael Hourigan’s charge has previous form over a marathon trip having been a fine third in the four-miler at Cheltenham last year.

NEVILLE RING


2.35pm: Quantitativeeasing


3.10pm: The Job Is Right


3.50pm: Slowmotion (nap)


4.25pm: Apple's Jade


5pm: On The Shannon (nb)


5.35pm: Anibale Fly


6.10pm: Stretchingthetruth


6.40pm: Chapter Seven

NEXT BEST


2.35pm: Cantlow


3.10pm: Folsom Blue


3.50pm: Limini


4.25pm: Ivanovich Gorbatov


5pm: Kayf Supreme


5.35pm: Last Goodbye


6.10pm: Mai Fitzs Jack


6.40pm: Paddy The Celeb