Bewleys can call the tune
Philip Rothwell’s imposing six-year-old is a horse with a future and has to be given a confident vote.
He produced the performance of his young life at Limerick last month and a repeat of that will certainly be good enough now.
The selection travelled strongly through a much hotter contest than this, eventually finishing three parts and two and a half lengths third behind Holly Tree and Larkwing.
Paul Nolan’s once-raced Maucaillou is the chocie in the opening La Bucca Maiden Hurdle.
He made a reasonable debut when a remote fourth behind Alqaab at Navan in early March, a race that was run in very testing conditions.
Nolan has given his charge time to mature and he may well be far better suited by this much quicker surface.
His most interesting challenger is the ex-French horse, Ogre d’Estruval. He has a wealth of experience over fences in his native country, taking third at Auteuil back in October on his last outing.
The Fairyhouse Conference and Events Centre Handicap Hurdle has been divided three ways and, perhaps, the best bet is Orvietan in the second section. He won by five lengths at Tipperary last time and a 10lbs rise in the weights may not stop him.
