Take a chance with Princeton Plains
There are solid reasons for thinking Eddie Harty's six-year-old won't be far away, however, particularly hisability to handle testing conditions.
He ran in the race a year ago and finished fifth, on a surface that was far too fast for him.
The selection also has a decent record in this type of contest and that is a big plus.
Niall Madden's mount has been running on the flat of late and indicated he was a real live Hurdle prospect when scoring at the Curragh on his latest appearance. On heavy ground, he beat Vastonea by a length and a quarter and that form was nicely boosted when Vastonea won a valuable handicap at Galway on Tuesday night.
Ruby Walsh has decided to partner Drive Time, in preference to Blazing Tempo, and that has to be respected.
Drive Time has clearly been laid out for this, not having been seen since scoring at the Punchestown festival in April.
He won three parts of a length that day and went up 12lbs. There are obviously loads of others with chances, but Princeton Plains to run a cracker is the verdict.
The nap vote falls on Willie Mullins' Call Me Bubbles in the IRFU Charitable Trust Handicap. He went up 13lbs for beating Breach Of Falesa a short head at Roscommon, but bounced off everything up the straight and was value for a lot more than that.
Mullins can initiate a double with Letherbelucky in the Arthur Guinness Fund Novice Hurdle.
Fears the soft ground would find her out proved unfounded when she beat subsequent winner, Audrelles Lad, by four and a half lengths at Roscommon last month.
The Arthur Guinness EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes, the first Listed event to be held at this meeting, might go Lady Wingshot, who found all the trouble that was going when fifth to Empowering at Naas eight days ago.
