Side with Suffren
Suffren, however, shouldn’t be far away, on the evidence of his latest effort at Limerick nine days ago.
O’Grady’s charge certainly looked an unlucky loser. He travelled powerfully into the straight, but made a bad mistake two out and went from cruising to struggling.
To his credit Suffren rallied strongly, but the damage had been done and, though staying on well in the closing stages, was still a short head adrift of Rightville Boy at the line.
Considering it was a further five and a half lengths back to the third, the handicapper cannot be accused of overreacting, with Suffren now racing off a mark just 4lbs higher.
Jessica Harrington’s Keppols Queen looks the one to beat in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Mares’ Maiden Hurdle.
She made a very promising debut at Limerick last month, when making long odds-on Lord Adare pull out all of the stops, before going down by half a length.
Paul Nolan’s Oneforlill was grabbed late and beaten a nose by Missyspet at Clonmel and may gain compensation in the Bumper.
Thekingofconnemara, third over flights at Leopardstown and fourth to easy winner Badgerfort in a bumper on this track, gets the nod in the three-mile Friday July 11th BBQ Maiden Hurdle.
At Downpatrick, Draycott Place can take the Friday Evening In May Maiden Hurdle. The five-year-old has been mixing it of late with far better horses than he meets now.
