Rely on Rua
The classy Ceol Rua, now a seven-year-old, is given her first spin on the flat in the Ladies’ Day At Ballinrobe Maiden and is the nap choice.
A bumper winner and a good money-spinner over flights for her very much in-form handler, she hasn’t been seen since the Punchestown festival towards the end of April.
Partnered by Ruby Walsh on that occasion, she contested a competitive 25-runner handicap hurdle.
In the end Ceol Rua looked a most unlucky loser, slipping up approaching the home turn when tracking the leaders and doing no more than half speed.
The selection now has to overcome an absence of 63 days, but fitness will hardly be a problem and the booking of Pat Smullen looks to be a real sign of intent.
Mullins’ Chiltern Hills is fancied to make a winning debut over jumps in the Purcell Construction Maiden Hurdle.
She has shown steady improvement in all three of her runs in bumpers, emerging with credit from her latest outing at Listowel.
Chiltern Hills had plenty on at the weights that day, but ran a cracker to finish a close third behind In The Well and Whats Happening.
Andrew Oliver is another who has his team in fine shape and Golden Acorn can prove another for him in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden.
She is modest, as her rating of 67 clearly indicates, but is reasonably progressive and this is a particularly weak contest.
The daughter of Ad Valorem produced her best performance to date at Leopardstown five days ago, third to Romantic Stroll and Circle, and a repeat of that will surely be good enough.
