Doodle set for maiden doddle
Aidan O’Brien plundered a recent maiden with Aristocrat at the south-eastern track.
And, having chased home stable-companions Stately Home and Dixie Music in recent maidens at Leopardstown, Yankee Doodle has been found a good opportunity to get off the mark.
A grey son of Dalakhani, Yankee Doodle was given a kind seasonal debut when coming through to fill the runner-up berth behind Stately Home, a colt which was since beaten in listed company at Hamilton.
And, last time, back at Leopardstown and over the same trip of ten furlongs, he took the lead turning for home before being outpointed by Dixie Music, which had earlier shown promise behind their Epsom-bound stable-companion Fame And Glory.
But Yankee Doodle pulled clear of third-placed Boulay in a strongly-run race. He should be suited by a step up to today’s trip of close to a mile and a half.
Yankee Doodle is expected to beat the John Oxx-trained Pettoni, no match for The Bull Hayes at Navan last time, and Dermot Weld’s once-raced Sublime Talent.
Although dropping significantly in trip after her slightly unlucky third to Aristocrat at the last Wexford meeting Smart Decision should have solid prospects in the opening Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden over an extended mile.
The Jim Bolger-trained Mr Greeley filly looks capable of a maiden success and is preferred to Halcyon Princess, a pleasing fifth to Dance Pass at Naas but faced with the outside draw here.
Revelling, locally-trained by Paul Nolan, sets the standard in the Borro Mares Flat Race following a highly promising recent debut at Limerick, when short-headed by the experienced and talented Case And Point.
And, denied a good opportunity to make a winning start to his hurdling career at Sligo on Wednesday, Skorcher looks good for Willie Mullins in the second bumper, the Owenavarragh Flat Race.
A seventeen lengths winner at Navan in mid-winter, Skorcher has since finished second to Western Leader (at Limerick) and stable-companion Quel Esprit (at Punchestown) and should prove tough to beat in this company.
In the flat handicaps, Tony Martin’s Green Mile (Johnny Murtagh) has an obvious chance in the two-mile Campile Handicap while Clear Riposte, narrowly beaten by stable-companion Snowy Morning over hurdles at Limerick recently, should land the Owenduff Handicap off a lowly mark of 46.
