Rely on Tasitiocht
Twice successful in bumpers, she made an inauspicious start over jumps at Gowran Park in September, contest won by Defence Of Duress, when falling at the fifth.
She reappeared six days later at Navan, however, and, in a 20-runner affair, went off the 5-4 favourite.
The daughter of Oscar, despite a tendency to jump to the right, made no mistake, cruising clear from the final flight to score by five and a half lengths. The fact she is now travelling right-handed has to be regarded as a plus.
Carries Darling, who impressed conceding weight all run when winning easily at Clonmel last month, is rated the main danger.
Mullins runs the once-raced Mr Groocock, successful by eight and a half lengths in a Clonmel bumper in May, in the Mount Leinster Maiden Hurdle and the seven-year-old obviously has to be respected.
Preference, though, is for Philip Fenton’s Venture Capital, who proved a huge disappointment when a tailed-off tenth of ten behind Champagne Fever in a Grade 1 bumper at the Punchestown festival in April.
But that was on atrocious, virtually unraceable, ground and the selection is certainly a far better horse than that.
His only previous outing saw him land a bumper at Fairyhouse in December, decisively beating two very smart sorts in Bright New Dawn, who scored over hurdles at Fairyhouse last Saturday, and Thomas Edison.
Noel Meade’s Thouva, a costly failure on this track last time, may be worth another chance in the Hook Beginners Chase.
He could only manage third place behind Klepht in a modest race then, but the surface may have been far too quick for him and this is another weak heat.
