Stick with in-form Davenport Democrat
Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old is certainly more effective on a better surface, but has shown he can handle the soft in the past and his class can pull him through.
A dual winner at the meeting a year ago, Davenport Democrat has won two hurdle races in fine style of late, at Bellewstown and Roscommon.
The latest was at Roscommon where plenty cut in the ground was expected, at least in some quarters, to find him out, but the selection battled strongly to beat odds-on favourite Line Ball by a length and three parts.
The Kevin Prendergasttrained Phantom Lad is hardly the best horse in the Dillon Plant Hire Maiden, but showed his ability to handle testing conditions earlier in the season and is the choice.
The Desert Prince colt found a mile and a half much further then he wanted to travel when fourth behind Lounaos at Roscommon last month.
The John J Galvin Maiden Hurdle appears a moderate contest and the vote falls on Liam Burke’s Optimus Prime.
He hasn’t been seen since proving a disappointing favourite at Wexford back in April, but is relatively experienced and has a couple of far more encouraging efforts to his credit.
Platonic Afffair, beaten a neck by Our Little Cub (rec. 4lbs) in heavy ground at Sligo last week, has every chance of reversing the placings in the Liam O’Flaherty Handicap.
