Santo Padre can sprint to four-timer
David Marnane’s charge is a real five furlongs specialist and that’s a big advantage facing into this test.
His winning run began at Tipperary, followed by Down Royal, but it was his latest performance which marked the selection down as a more than useful sort.
The Elnadim gelding contested the fiercely competitive 22-runner Ladbrokes’ Portland Handicap at Doncaster, finishing powerfully to score going away by a length and a quarter.
Green Manalishi, in receipt of 7lbs and one of two challengers from Kevin Ryan’s yard, was a futher length away in fourth and looks safely held.
Ryan also runs Arganil and that rates a bigger danger. He is a prolific winner and was racing on the unfavoured stands’ side when only 13th in the Ayr Gold Cup last time.
The other to consider is Luisant, who produced a cracking effort when a neck second behind Rayeni at the Curragh.
But that was over six furlongs and, indeed, all his best efforts have been over such a trip.
Aidan O’Brien’s Reggae Dancer may have finally found his level in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Maiden.
He is certainly one of the weaker juveniles housed at Ballydoyle, but this a poor race and he didn’t perform too badly when third to Bewitched and Moonreach in a nursery on this track last time.
Fourpenny Lane ran moderately at Naas last weekend, but has shown her liking for this surface in the past and gets the nod in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Race.
