Northern Baycan lead rivalsa merry dance
Griffin’s front-running Norther Bay is fancied to lead his rivals a merry dance in the Visit punchestown.com Hurdle.
He warmed up for this four days ago at the Curragh, finishing sixth in the handicap won by Jim Bolger’s Teacht An Earraig.
Prior to that, Norther Bay produced a couple of decent efforts over flights in two competitive handicaps.
On this track at the Festival, he was fourth of 23 behind Bambootcha and did even better subsequently at Killarney when only grabbed on the run in and beaten two lengths into second by Northern Alliance. We know he’s not a horse who finds a great deal at the end of his races, but in this league the hope is that the five-year-old will have the prize in safe keeping by the time the pressure is applied!
Kevkat could initiate a double for Griffin and Geraghty in the first division of the Panoramic Restaurant Maiden Hurdle.
A very useful horse on the level, Kevkat has yet to translate anything like that ability to jumps.
But he’s been given a decent beak, will be suited by the expected quick surface and only another decent sort off the flat, The God Of Love, making his debut over flights, rates a danger.
Silent Wind, who justified some hefty wagers with a smooth victory at Ballinrobe three days ago, has to be the choice to defy a mandatory 6lbs penalty in the Tote Sports’ Lounge Handicap Hurdle.
