Switch on to Thomas Edison in maiden hurdle
His main claim to fame thus far is beating the subsequent Cheltenham and Punchestown festivals hero, Champagne Fever, in a bumper at Leopardstown at Christmas. The five-year-old wasn’t seen again until reappearing over flights, carrying the J P McManus colours for the first time, at Gowran Park 13 days ago.
In a much hotter contest than this, he was backed from 5-2 to 6-4 favourite. That race was eventually won by Maxim Gorky from Too Scoops, but Thomas Edison was tracking the leaders, and apparently full of running, when falling at the second last. It will be disappointing should he fail to deliver.
The nap vote goes to Whodoyouthink, representing in-form Oliver McKiernan, in the Seamus Mulvaney Crockafotha Handicap Hurdle. He is, admittedly, a bit of an in-and-out performer, but arrives here on the back of a 17 lengths success over fences at Punchestown.
The testing conditions are not a worry and the selection runs off a mark which is 21lbs below his current rating as a chaser.
Casimir Road, who handled soft ground well when beaten three parts of a length by the smart Discoteca at Gowran Park, looks best in the Bluegrass Resolve Novice Hurdle.
Neither of the cards tomorrow offer punters much cause for optimism, with the hopeful nap vote falling on Jimmy Mangan’s Isabelle Amie in the second division of the Bumper at Limerick.
She ran a nice sort of race when third on her debut to the talented Willie Mullins-trained Glens Melody at Tipperary last month and, hopefully, can now build on that.
The wide-open www.thetote.com Galway Plate Trial Handicap Chase may fall to the hat-trick seeking Victrix Gale. She went up 11lbs for winniung easily over fences on this track in May, but then emphasised her current well-being when scoring over hurdles at Listowel subsequently.
Colin Bowe’s Our Victoria gets the nod in the Limerick.ie Chase. She finished a close third to Ainama and Campbonnais in a competitive handicap at Roscommon and had Devil’s Elbow (rec. 8lbs) five lengths behind in seventh place.
At Bellewstown tomorrow, Tommy Stack’s Kedleston can take the Glebe House Stud Handicap. He dug deep to score at Leopardstown on Wednesday night and is fancied to defy a mandatory 5lbs penalty.
