Teach can follow up
Bogged down on soft ground on his debut when fourth to Smoking Aces at Thurles in February, the Val Royal gelding looked a different proposition at Cork last Friday night.
Confidently handled by Robbie McNamara and surviving a scare when stumbling approaching the home turn, Teach Nua beat The Last Derby by a length.
The selection looked to be value for a bit more than that, he was only asked to do enough by his pilot, and has to get the vote.
John Kiely’s King Rama is likely to start a warm favourite for the Belfry Handicap Hurdle and will be hard to beat.
Successful four times on the flat in 2006, he was returning from a long absence when scoring over flights at Kilbeggan on Saturday evening.
Truth to tell, the seven-year-old won with a lot in hand and, under just a mandatory 6lbs penalty, seems to have a big edge on the handicapper.
At Leopardstown tonight, Tommy Stack’s The Loan Express can get back on the winning trail in the six furlongs Sandyford Race.
On unsuitably soft ground, she has run two decent races this season, particularly her last effort at Cork.
The selection enjoyed no luck in running, but still managed a creditable third behind Contest and Tax Free.
As a juvenile her best performance came at Royal Ascot when beaten less than a length into third behind Elletelle in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes.
Aidan O’Brien unveils the Dansili colt, Egypt, in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Maiden and it will be interesting to note his travels in the market.
The nod, however, falls on Kevin Prendergast’s relatively experienced Heart Of Fire, who stuck to his task in good style when two lengths runner-up behind the useful Blas Ceoil at Naas last week.
