Punters can jump for Joy
As expected Hardy Eustace defected from the Grade Two yesterday morning and that should have left the way clear for Jessica Harrington’s seven-year-old to enjoy a first success of the campaign.
Like a lot of Harrington’s horses, he has struggled to hit form this season, but came right back to his best in the AIG at Leopardstown last month.
Macs Joy ran a cracker to finish a length second to Brave Inca and a repeat of that should see him well capable of conceding the smart Essex 5lbs.
The tough Jim can land the nap in the four-runner Red Mills Chase. Interestingly, Jim Dreaper’s charge has 4lbs in hand of all three of his rivals.
A combination of decent ground and two miles found out the selection last time, but he still performed solidly when six lengths runner-up to Central House at Punchestown.
Regular pilot Robert Power is currently on the sidelines, but the booking of Paul Carberry is hardly a minus.
Carberry may also team up with Noel Meade’s Jaamid to land a moderate looking Shantou At Burgage Stud Maiden Hurdle. An ordinary handicapper when trained on the flat by Mark Johnston in England, Jaamid indicated this may well be his game with a reasonably promising seventh of 18 behind Quatre Heures at Fairyhouse.
At Navan tomorrow the progressive Golden Cross is impossible to oppose in the McCabe Builders Ltd Boyne Hurdle.
He finished a creditable third to Brave Inca and Macs Joy in the AIG and this will give connections some idea as to whether challenging for Cheltenham’s World Hurdle is realistic.
Zum See will surely go off a warm order for the opening ladbrokes.com Flyingbolt Novice Chase, but doesn’t always find a lot off the bridle and Arthur Moore’s Mansony is, at worst, capable of making a race of it.
Mansony made no show when pulled up behind Missed That in the Arkle at Leopardstown last time, a couple of mistakes were no help, but is a decent horse on his day and could well revert to tactics which seem to suit best, front-running!
The ladbrokes.com Ten Up Novice Chase is a total puzzle. Mr Babbage is the hopeful choice, although it is disconcerting he has, apparently, been discarded by David Casey, who rides Homer Wells.
But Homer Wells performed particularly poorly at Naas on his latest appearance and a watching brief seems best as far as he is concerned for the moment. Mr Babbage jumps and stays, getting off the mark to the tune of eights lengths over this course and distance.
