Shorter trip won’t trouble Moonlight Boy
He disgraced himself first time up over flights when going off the 5-4 favourite at Naas in January.
Moonlight Boy refused to settle, repeatedly jumped away to his right and was almost off the track when pulled up before the third last.
Wisely, his trainer, Christy Roche, hasn’t asked him to go left-handed since and the selection has been all the better for that decision.
He ran satisfactorily next time when third to Sizing Granite and subsequent winner Desertmore Stream at Gowran Park and then returned to the Kilkenny track for his latest appearance.
Again, the selection performed with promise, beaten four and a quarter lengths into second by Upstager and the fact the third was a further 23 lengths behind was obviously encouraging.
Moonlight Boy, compared to the last day, now drops down half a mile in trip, but you’d imagine Alan Crowe will make plenty of use of him and that should not be a worry.
The hat-trick seeking Robert Tyner-trained Tooreen has to be the choice in the Sporting Limerick Mares’ Handicap Hurdle.
She has struck form with a vengeance of late, scoring twice over three miles at Clonmel, and those two successes have seen her go up by 16lbs.
But Tooreen moves up by another 7lbs in the future and with regular rider Philip Enright suspended, talented 7lbs claimer Ger Fox now takes over.
Willie Mullins’ Vedettariat looks best in the Bumper, even though he has been largely disappointing so far.
His latest effort, however, three parts of a length and a neck third behind Lord Scoundrel and Golan Dancer at Clonmel, indicated he was more than capable of winning a contest such as this.
