Alley open to further improvement
The lightly raced dog had the early pace to lead around the turn last time and he outpaced his rivals as he opened up a significant advantage in the backstraight.
He may not enjoy the luxury of an early lead here — that distinction may go to Huggies Joy — but his all-round speed should see him to the front in plenty of time to follow up last week’s success.
Meanwhile January Breeze has his favoured draw for the first time since his return and he can take the opening semi-final of the Bob Daly Memorial A2 550 at Youghal.
Michael Cashman’s near-veteran has shown flashes of his best form in recent races and, with a lot in his favour here, the prolific scorer can add a 16th career victory if getting away reasonably. The danger could come from Seaview Rosie, who possesses fine early speed and should be involved throughout.
