Stick with Love Lockdown
An easy winner of his maiden at Leopardstown, the son of Verglas then produced a really good display at Naas, proving too strong for Aidan O’Brien’s well-regarded Beethoven.
The Ballydoyle horse was backed from 5-4 to correspondings odds-on, but the selection dug deep to beat him by a head, after a protracted tussle through the final furlong,.
Love Lockdown conceded Beethoven 2lbs, that was encouraging, as was the fact it was a further nine lengths back to the third.
The talented Keagan Latham partners Love Lockdown for Ger Lyons and the duo can also team up with Cheveyo to take the Golden Olive Maiden.
The Celtic Swing gelding made a good start when third behind market principals, Magic Mornings and Grandiflora, at Fairyhouse earlier in the month.
Slowly away and mildly hampered trying to mount a challenge over that seven furlongs, he is entitled to come on plenty and is likely to relish the longer trip.
Feature event is the Group 3 Kerry Group Noblesse Stakes and this very much centres around Dermot Weld’s Profound Beauty.
She is easily the best horse in the contest, but it’s her seasonal debut, so the market may reveal plenty. Profound Beauty hasn’t been seen since turning in a huge performance at Flemingon in the Melbourne Cup in November.
She finished fifth of 22, beaten less than three lengths. Prior to that her best effort came over a mile and six at Leopardstown, when cruising to victory in a Listed event. From this range, she has to be the choice.
Limerick houses a moderate programme tonight and there is no real cause for optimism. Gay Sloane, who will revel in the fast ground, shouldn’t be too far away in the Irish Mirror Handicap Hurdle.
A proven timber-topper, Noel Meade’s five-year-old will be cherry-ripe, following two outings on the flat of late.
Meade could also have the solution to the most interesting race on the card, the www.syncreon. com Hurdle with The Fist Of God.
He’s another who loves a fast surface, getting bogged down in the heavy last time when third in the Grade 1 won by Jumbo Rio at the Punchestown Festival.
The less said about what’s on offer at Downpatrick tomorrow the better, but one who should oblige is Classic Frontier, runner-up behind Lady Ramona at Wexford last Sunday who will hardly get an easier opportunity than this.
