Longer trip looks sure to suit Tivoli Fountain
His Tivoli Fountain, blinkered for the first time, gets the nap to take the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Premier Nursery.
You would have to accept the son of Green Desert was disappointing at Naas last time, managing only third spot behind Descriptive and Camouflage.
But that six furlongs looked too short for the selection and he will surely be more at home over this seven, particularly with a stiff uphill finish.
Tivoli Mountain is better judged on his previous effort at Gowran Park, at seven furlongs. He was beaten a length and a half into second by Dermot Weld’s Hard Warrior and is allowed a generous 5lbs.
O’Brien and Weld, Scandinavia and Set In Motion respectively, appear certain to dominate the Dawn Hi And Lo EBF Maiden and again the Ballydoyle handler may come out on top.
Scandaniva has been beaten by two decent horses in Elusive Double, successful again since, at Tipperary and Indesatchel at the Curragh.
Set In Motion, another blinkered for the first time and a promising fifth behind Carnegie Hall in a Curragh maiden which is working out really well, has to be respected.
A third O’Brien possibility is Bronco Charlie, a Be My Native newcomer, in the Kerry Maid Festival Bumper.
Pat Hughes’ Gemini Guest runs for the second time at the meeting and is the choice in the Dawn Milk Handicap Hurdle.
He ran the race of his life here on Thursday, finishing runner-up in the Galway Hurdle behind the impressive Cloone River.
Gemini Guest seems assured of a hike in the weights for that performance and, stepping up six furlongs in trip, is the one to beat.
Dr Knock, who slammed one of this week’s heroines, Lily Shing Shang, to the tune of eight lengths on the level at Sligo and who has plenty jumping experience, has a leading chance in the Jockeys’ Association Maiden Hurdle.
At Galway tomorrow the evergreen Caviar Royale is a hopeful nap choice to win the Fairgreen Hotel Handicap.
He did us a favour early in the week, coming late and fast to beat heavily-backed market leader, Sahara Prince, a length and a half and may prove capable of shaking off a mandatory 5lbs penalty.
Calorando, who ran a cracking race on Tuesday to fill third behind Palace Star and Amouralis, both getting plenty of weight, in the McDonogh Handicap, has conditions very much in his favour in the four-runner Mercer Hotel Rated Race.
