Catch Me looks set to do the business again
Edward O’Grady’s seven-year-old is the best stayer over flights in the country right now and has plenty in hand of his six rivals.
The selection’s two runs so far this season have been over fences and he is desperately unlucky not to be unbeaten.
Catch Me made a smooth enough start at Cork and was set to follow up at Navan when falling at the last, race eventually won by Oscar Looby.
Whether he will return to fences remains to be seen, but in the meantime this is a decent prize and O’Grady’s charge is very much the one to beat.
Dunguib, who has enjoyed two bloodless wins over flights, at Galway and Punchestown, faces his moment of truth in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle.
He trounced both Sweeps Hill (Punchestown) and Some Present (Cheltenham) in bumpers, but both renew rivalry and are far and away the best opponents Dunguib has faced so far over jumps.
Sweeps Hill and Some Present have already posted smart efforts this campaign but, hopefully, Dunguib will again prove far superior to them.
Pandorama is probably the best horse in the Bar One Racing Drinmore Chase, but showed a marked tendency to jump away to his left when scrambling to beat Clan Tara at Punchestown and could not be supported with confidence, on the basis he may repeat such antics.
Preference then is for Whatuthink, who did well to score over an inadequate two miles at Thurles.
This two and a half could prove his ideal trip and Oliver McKiernan’s inmate can give us a big run.
The Bumper is best left to Liz Doyle’s winning point-to-pointer, Al Ferof. He made a cracking start on the racecourse at Punchestown, third to Summit Meeting.
The form could hardly have worked out any better with Summit Meeting, Age Benefit (second) and Perfect Smile (fourth) all scoring in the meantime.
