Stirabout set for quick double

Jim Bolger certainly doesn’t believe in wrapping his horses in cotton wool and two of them making quick reappearances at Clonmel this evening, Stirabout and Chance To Dance, are fancied to deliver.

Stirabout, in action four days ago at Gowran Park, is the nap choice in the West Gate Median Auction Maiden for colts and geldings.

He made most of the running at Gowran, only giving best late when beaten a neck and the same into third spot behind Tommy Stack’s newcomer Ashtaroth and Ger Lyons’ Mansuri.

The selection is a long way short of being any sort of star, but does seem to have a good attitude and stepping up another two furlongs now has to be regarded as a plus.

Chance To Dance makes an even faster return to action, in the Fethard Maiden, after running at the Curragh on Monday.

The son of Teofilo, having performed moderately over seven furlongs on his debut at Gowran Park, then dropped back to six at headquarters.

On this occasion, he produced a far more promising effort, finishing half a length second behind John Oxx’s well touted first-timer Seas Of Wells.

Chance To Dance now takes a dramatic rise in trip, to ten furlongs, but was going on strongly at the end at the Curragh and it isn’t a huge concern.

Westpieser and Vintage Nouveau, third and fourth respectively behind David Wachman’s pair Lahinch Classics and Photo Call at Dundalk, are obvious candidates for the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden.

But Wachman might again have the legs on them with Circling. She rounded off last season with a creditable effort in a Listed event at the Curragh.

Circling then began this campaign at Dundalk, where she seemed to find a mile all too short when no match for promising debutante American Girl.

Danequest, second over flights at Cork last time, gets the vote in the Free Admission For Ladies May 22nd Handicap.

He has been steadily slipping down the ratings on the flat and runs here off a mark of 45, having once been as high as 70.