Hardy Eustace has plenty going for him in AIG
A tough, rugged customer, Dessie Hughes’ charge has shown this season that it would be folly to regard him as any sort of back-number.
At Leopardstown at Christmas, on his less favoured inside track, Hardy Eustace was beaten a length into second spot by Al Eile.
They move out from that track now and, on a surface likely to be a lot more testing, Hardy Eustace has every chance of reversing the placings.
It would be quite wrong, however, to underestimate Al Eile and the more it dries out the better his prospects will be.
Aitmatov has been in fine form this season, but Noel Meade’s horses are going through a very bad spell right now and he is discarded on that basis.
Sizing Europe is the unknown factor in the race and, if he wins, then here’s one who will be kicking himself, having been a fan for a while now.
The cold truth, however, is that Sizing Europe is currently rated 19lbs inferior to Hardy Eustace, although that is by no means an impossible amount of ground to make up for a rapidly improving six-year-old.
Our Bob is nap material in the Toshiba Novice Hurdle. He won his maiden at Naas with any amount in hand, but this is a far stiffer test, which he may well come through with flying colours!
Ruby Walsh partners Our Bob and has live chances as well on Pomme Tiepy and Scotsirish.
Pomme Tiepy, who looks in the same league as brilliant stable companion J’y Vole, so impressive at Gowran Park on Thursday, is fancied to lead her rivals a merry dance in the Woodlands Park Novice Chase.
A typical French import, she has produced two excellent efforts to score at Cork and Thurles. They were easy tests compared to this, but Pomme Tiepy has a lot of potential and is in receipt of plenty of weight from her rivals,
Scotsirish gets the nod in the Baileys’ Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup Trophy. Struggling to find his form, he hit top gear with a vengeance on this course two weeks ago.
The selection, despite almost unseating Walsh at the last, ran away from the smart Wins Now on the flat and a repeat of that will surely see him go close.
At Navan today, Eric McNamara’s Larkwing gets the nap to leave a mildly disappointing effort at Limerick last time behind in the Navan Golf Club Open For Membership Hurdle.
A useful sort when on song, he was third then to Alexander Taipan and if performing anywhere near his rating of 131 will oblige.
Deal Maker, running on well when runner-up to Our Bob at Naas, should relish the trip in the Design Maiden Hurdle.
