Rely on Salford City
Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old generally only keeps the best of company over flights and is a high-class summer recruit to this game.
He ran twice at the Punchestown Festival, producing a particularly good performance on the first occasion.
Contesting a Grade 1 for novices, Salford City finished eight lengths second to Jered and had Cheltenham hero, Fiveforthree, a length and a half away third.
Three days later he was given his chance in another Grade 1, the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle, but, after running prominently for most of the journey, faded coming away from two out to finish a remote sixth and last behind Punjabi.
He loves to front run and enjoys a fast surface, so a competent round of jumping should see the selection safely home.
The nap vote falls on David Wachman’s once-raced Always Beautiful in the ten furlongs Charleville Maiden.
The daughter of Kingmambo made a fine start when fourth to Winchester at Leopardstown and this contest looks a lot easier.
The market in the Bumper could prove most informative, but at this range the nod falls on Dermot Weld’s Teach Nua.
He seemed to get bogged down on the soft ground in the closing stages when fourth to the smart Tom Taaffe-trained Smoking Aces at Thurles back in February and this better surface may be what’s required.
Zafayra, beaten into second pace by Chinese White in a Listed event at Gowran Park, may provide the answer to a tricky O’Cofaigh Construction Race at Dundalk tonight.
