Start Me Up clearly laid out for Kerry National
There seems little doubt the eight-year-old has been laid out especially for this test and is a proven winter-ground performer.
The selection has a number of efforts to his credit that indicate he may well be capable of landing a major prize such as this.
For instance at Navan in February, in a Grade 2, he was beaten three quarters of a length and a nose into third place behind subsequent Irish Grand National winner, Lion Na Bearnai, and that dour stayer, Four Commanders. That was a solid effort, considering Start Me Up made a bad mistake at the sixth last.
Swan’s charge has had one recent run, given a spin over flights when fourth to Tarla at Roscommon last month, and that should have him spot-on for this test.
Oliver McKiernan’s Whatever Jacksays is fancied to shrug off top weight in the Ballygarry House Hotel Novice Hurdle.
The surface is not a problem and he won four in-a-row, once on the flat, prior to finding two miles all too short in the Galway Hurdle when down the field behind Rebel Fitz.
The Listed Edmund And Josie Whelan Memorial Listowel Stakes is probably best left to Aidan O’Brien’s Chamonix.
He handled similar conditions in style at Galway nine days ago, taking another Listed event by six lengths.
The opening Listowel Arms Hotel EBF Maiden is best left to Dermot Weld’s Secret Recipe, who made a nice start when fourth to Cristoforo Colombo at Navan in May.
