Force poised to strike for Weld
Dermot Weld’s beautifully-bred colt, by Danehill out of Irish 1000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner, showed nothing on his debut when a remote eighth of ten behind San Giustino on this track in June.
He stepped way up on that effort at Tipperary subsequently, however, when a head second to John Oxx’s Akram.
It would be quite wrong to read too much into that performance. Akram went on to take a competitive handicap at Galway last week, but beat Striking Force with any amount in hand.
Nevertheless, it was a promising effort on the part of the selection. He now drops down two furlongs in trip, so it will be no great surprise should Pat Smullen have Striking Force near the front from the start.
Walk In My Shadow has real prospects of giving Austin Leahy a welcome turn in the seven furlongs White House Handicap.
She won in very testing conditions at Tralee and then found the firm surface no problem when a head runner-up behind Stef’s Girl at Naas.
Helensburgh, who took a lot of money out of the ring at Galway, can have the layers in a spin again in the ERA Oates Auctioneers’ Handicap.
He gallops for fun, will relish another half mile in trip, compared to Galway, and has to be fancied to defy a mandatory 5lbs penalty.
Short And Sweet, absent since finishing a creditable second behind Aktari over flights at Wexford in May, looks the right one in the Ulster Bank Beginners Chase.
