Stamina test to suit Pointilliste
The selection is a Group 3 winner on the level in France and a half-brother to the brilliant Peintre Celebre.
But there is no denying he has been disappointing since coming to this country and now has plenty to prove.
The seven-year-old still has time on his side, however, and faces a bleak future if failing to be competitive in this league.
He ran two modest races on the flat for Meade, before beginning his jumping career at Navan over a month ago.
Pointilliste didn’t exactly set the world alight with that performance either, finishing sixth of 29 finishers behind Oneeightofamile.
That was run over two miles and the key may well prove to be a far greater test of stamina, which Pointilliste is now being given.
Best contest of the day is the Dobbins’ Panoramic Restaurant Beginners Chase, which is certain to throw up a number of future winners.
Best horse in the race is almost certainly Paul Nolan’s Noble Prince, who improved throughout last season and seemed equally at home from two miles to three miles. His travels in the market will be important, but for now the nod falls on Jessica Harrington’s Saludos.
He has always shaped like a chaser in the making and has indicated in the past a real liking for this track.
Ross Bay, runner-up behind Bullock Harbour at the Listowel Festival, can land the winners’ Bumper for mares.
