Promising Tasman can jump to second success
It is to Ruby Walsh, however, we look to land the nap aboard the Dermot Weld trained Tasman in the Galtee Meats Hurdle.
Tasman, a moderate enough performer on the level, promises to do much better at this game and has looked a natural in his two outings over jumps.
He was particularly impressive when getting off the mark at the Listowel Festival. Partnered then by the currently sidelined Barry Geraghty, he made all the running to beat market rival, Wing Of Fire, by four lengths.
It will be a surprise should McCoy leave empty-handed and his partnership with Mouse Morris’s Fota Island will be compulsive viewing in the Irish Stallion Farms’ Novice ’Chase.
The massive gelding was a relative failure when tried over fences previously, but showed he still possesses a real engine when put back over flights.
Fota Island rounded off last season by finishing sixth in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham behind Hardy Eustace and Rooster Booster and then took third spot to those two horses as well in the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.
Hopefully, Morris will have ironed out his difficulties jumping fences, he is easily the best horse in this contest, and gets the vote.
McCoy can also be fancied to take the INH Stallion Owners’ EBF Novice Hurdle on Edward O’Grady’s Overbury Affair.
He looked a smart sort in the making when taking a 29-runner bumper at Leopardstown last Christmas and will surely have been well schooled for this test.
Rocket Ship and Balasari are the two to concentrate on in the Mitchelstown Cheese Maiden Hurdle.
Balasari, successful twice on the flat for John Oxx, made a good start over flights at Limerick last Sunday, runner-up behind Monjoyau.
Preference, however is for Rocket Ship, who handled testing conditions really well at Fairyhouse in January when two lengths second to Alicudi with the useful Diego Garcia a further seven lengths away in third.
Osterhase, in theory at least, is a good thing to land the Listed Abergwaun Stakes at Cork today. He’s scored three times this season, producing a career-best in the Group One Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp last time when a close fourth to Var.
He has a lot in hand at the weights and gets the nod, but soft ground would be a worry and also that this will be his ninth outing of the campaign.
Charles O’Brien’s once-raced Forecourt is the nap choice in the seven furlongs Blackwater Maiden.
The son of Fasliyey appeared to be crying out for further when a fast-finishing neck second behind Russian Waltz over six furlongs at the Curragh.
