Spear can hit target
The progressive six-year-old showed that fast ground is what he wants when winning at Down Royal twelve days ago. He made every yard of the running to score unextended by five lengths and that followed on a promising second behind Tisn’t Easy at Thurles.
Phariva, who loves this surface as well, was equally impressive when cruising to victory at Limerick and is the obvious danger.
Dermot Weld’s once-raced Tanwir rates a safe wager in the Heart Of Down Maiden.
The daughter of Unfuwain performed solidly at Clonmel to finish one and a half lengths second to well-backed Senseansensibilty and that looks easily good enough in this class.
Corporate Express, successful on the flat at Tramore last season, is the choice in the Strangford Fuel Maiden Hurdle.
Paul Carberry is a significant booking for the four-year-old, who made a positive start over flights at Tralee in August, third to More Rainbows.
At Gowran Park tomorrow, the dropped-in-class Dermot Weld trained Indian Pace can take the Thomastown Maiden.
His only outing as a juvenile saw him beaten six lengths by Meath at Cork. The selection was again in good company on his reappearance, finishing a short head and five lengths third to Aidan O’Brien’s Last Love and John Oxx’s Hamairi at Leopardstown.
He was noted doing his best work at the end of that seven furlongs and this step up in trip is in his favour.
Joe Crowley’s Corrib Boy will relish the two miles of the Kilkenny Handicap and gets the vote.
He stayed every yard of the trip at Clonmel, when going down by a length to Raikkonen. Corrib Boy has been raised just 2lbs for that and the fact Seamus Heffernan now takes over from an inexperienced 7lbs claimer is a big bonus.
Jim Bolger’s Aleida is the one to beat in the second division of the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden, having run creditably against Hazarista on this track earlier in the month.
At Navan tomorrow, Philip Rothwell’s Loughanelteen looks the right one in the Supermarket Handicap Hurdle. He comes here in fine shape, fourth to Macs Joy at Fairyhouse and fourth as well at Killarney last Sunday behind King Carew.
