Another good Opportunity for Mareoflot
Eric McNamara’s mare dug deep to score at Punchestown last time and is fancied to defy a 6lbs hike in the weights.
She beat Permiya by half a length and the form received a timely boost when Permiya went in at Tipperary on Thursday evening.
Michael Hourigan’s Flying Johnny M, another on the upgrade, should be hard to beat in the corkracecourse.ie Novice Hurdle.
Successful at Killarney, he then performed solidly at Limerick subsequently when three parts of a length and the same third behind Baltimore Hill and Artiste Bay with subsequent winner, Nanny Nunny Nac, behind in fourth.
The Kanturk Maiden Hurdle is competitive, bringing together Earth Magic, Quarantine, Assiun and Visit Wexford, who are all likely future winners.
Preference is for the somewhat frustrating Earth Magic, who got bogged down in the testing conditions when fourth behind Silent Oscar at Punchestown.
His previous length and a half second to Kinger Rocks at Punchestown on a sound surface is, however, the best piece of form carried into this contest by any of the candidates.
The Bumper is best left to Tom Taaffe’s once-raced Breaking Silence, a close third behind Square Root and Cobham in a decent event at Clonmel.
Heliostatic gets the vote to return to his best form in the Peter Keatley Groundcare Silver Stakes on a disappointing programme at the Curragh tonight.
He wasn’t disgraced when sixth behind Araafa and George Washington in the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh and this Listed race is a major drop in class.
At Cork tomorrow, Tom Foley can enjoy a welcome turn with Sans Souci Boy in the Navigation Road Hurdle.
The eight-year-old ran a nice race when three and a half lengths second to Snowy Morning at Punchestown earlier in the month and this is easier.
Viv Ville, who got off the mark over fences in style at Listowel recently, is fancied to follow up in the Cork Racecourse at Mallow Barbeque Chase.
At Roscommon tomorrow, Crookhaven can keep John Murphy’s good run going in the the Budweiser Median Auction Race.
Runner-up behind the useful Adajal at Limerick, he was then flying far too high when eighth in the Irish 2000 Guineas.
