Geraghty can guide Adams Island to victory
Truth to tell, the selection is a frustrating sort, who has the potential to make a top-class chaser, but has been held back by poor jumping.
He was like that when trained in Britain by Rebecca Curtis and hasn’t been much better for Paul Nolan.
His latest outing was in the Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham festival where he made little impact, after a couple of bad blunders took their toll.
Prior to that he actually produced a decent round of jumping to claim fourth behind On His Own in the Thyestes at Gowran Park, but it his last outing over flights which signposts the eight-year-old’s prospects now.
That came in a competitive three mile handicap at Leopardstown at Christmas, when Adams Island finished a creditable third behind Jetson and Sword Fish in a contest which has been working out quite nicely.
Another most frustrating sort, Shrapnel, is worth a final chance in the Arch Bar Maiden Hurdle.
Absent since taking fourth behind Star Neuville and subsequent winners, Vesper Bell and Carrig Milly, at Leopardstown in December, he has been particularly costly to follow.
But this does represent a real opportunity and the Flemensfirth gelding may benefit from being afforded a good break and meeting better ground.
Lord Gale is arguably the form horse, on his second to Sheer Genius at Leopardstown last month, but has 13lbs to find with Shrapnel at the weights.
Tommy Stack’s once-raced Piper Hill, a son of Hawk Wing, gets the vote in the concluding Bumper, having made a promising start when fourth to Jezki at Leopardstown in January.
That looked a useful contest as Jezki won again next time, and the booking of talented 7lbs claimer, Jane Mangan, is hardly a minus.
