Hedgehunter top Thyestes choice

THE presence of Alexander Banquet in this afternoon’s Thyestes ’Chase at Gowran Park has reduced the field to just ten, with most trainers deciding there was no point running horses from well out of the handicap.

In theory that should make finding the winner a lot easier, but it still looks a tricky enough race.

The vote falls on Hedgehunter, who stays on 10-2 as a result of his stable companion remaining in the contest.

This will be the eight-year-old’s first run of the campaign on home soil, his two outings thus far having come in high-profile events across channel.

The selection finished fourth behind Strong Flow in the Hennessy at Newbury and then took a remote third to Bindaree and Sir Rembrandt in the Welsh National at Chepstow.

He improved steadily over fences last season, rounding off with a three and a half lengths second to Rule Supreme (gave 3lbs) at the Punchestown Festival in April.

The other two for the short-list are last year’s winner, Be My Belle, 6lbs higher now, and Satco Express.

Be My Belle comes here in good shape, having performed solidly when runner-up to in-form Cloudy Bays at Leopardstown.

Course specialist, Satco Express, could be tossed in and would have been the choice, but for doubts about his fitness.

He was reportedly suffering from a kidney infection and lame, after finishing fourth to Pizarro at Leopardstown at Christmas.

Tony Martin has booked Paul Carberry in an effort to get Xenophon to produce a decent round of jumping in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Novice ’Chase.

His technique left plenty to be desired on his fencing debut at Navan and Xenophon parted company with his rider at the first at Leopardstown subsequently.

He gets the vote to set the record straight, over obstacles that won’t be as stiff as those he has encountered so far.

Supergood, up 17lbs for easy successes at Punchestown and Leopardstown, is napped to do the business again in the Aer Rianta Cork Airport Handicap Hurdle.

Rosaker, with a minimum 13lbs in hand of all of his rivals, is the proverbial certainty in the Galmoy Stayers’ Hurdle. His seven lengths second to Solerina at Navan speaks for itself, in the context of this opposition, but the big doubt is that Noel Meade’s horses continue to be under a cloud.