High draw should not hinder Hail

TRUST the Aidan O'Brien-trained Hail to overcome a high draw and open his account in the Coolmore Rip Van Winkle 2-Y-0 Maiden at Cork today.

Although the Ballydoyle ‘second-string’ for his recent debut in Navan, Hail attracted plenty of support and shaped with considerable promise when finishing third to Quote Of The Day.

On paper, his eight lengths defeat constitutes modest enough form. But, judging by the way he travelled and improved to challenge, before clearly tiring in the very testing conditions, this Galileo colt possesses the ability to get off the mark in a maiden of this standard.