Zoom in on Zafar
Michael O’Brien’s gelding hasn’t left the ground in public since contesting a winners’ hurdle at the Punchestown Festival of 2007.
No less than 25 faced the starter that day and Zafar performed with any amount of promise in finishing fourth behind Phantom Lad.
He had an outing on the flat later in the year and then wasn’t seen again until returning on the all-weather at Dundalk last month.
The five-year-old put up a decent enough effort to score under 9-12 and then improved on that at the Galway Festival subsequently.
Contesting a valuable and competitive premier handicap over 12 furlongs, Zafar was four lengths second to Glitter Baby with Heavenly Blues, successful over flights at Cork last Sunday, behind in third.
At Wexford today, Willie Mullins’ Dani California can take the mile and a half Vinegar Hill Handicap.
She seems to be rapidly on the upgrade, on the evidence of her easy win in a handicap hurdle at Tramore last time.
Jim Bolger’s Via Galilei can show his appreciation of a dramatic drop in class in the Mount Leinster Maiden.
He wasn’t disgraced when seventh of nine behind Mores Wells in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown on his reappearance.
King Ralph, runner-up behind Winterdown Star at Galway, is fancied to go one better in the Sliabh Coilte Maiden Hurdle.
The third and fourth then, Noble Crusader and Truckers Delight respectively, have both scored in the meantime.
