Bank on Bertie to follow up
The inimitable duo team up with the once-raced Bertie Le Belge in the Visit The Leopardstown Circle Lounge Race and he is the nap choice.
The Big Bad Bob gelding made an excellent start at the Curragh last month, beating Aidan O’Brien’s Cape Clear Island by a length and a quarter.
The selection had a bad draw and raced towards the rear for much of the six furlongs. But he found a nice turn of foot in the closing stages to score going away and should be admirably suited to stepping up another furlong in trip.
Lyons and Keane can also land the Follow Leopardstown On Facebook Apprentice Rated Race with the progressive Artistic Integrity.
Stepped up to seven furlongs for the first time, he was an impressive winner when making all to easily win a modest handicap at Gowran Park on Tuesday night.
Artistic Integrity was staying on strongly at the end and chances are will be even more effective over this mile.
Joseph O’Brien is currently suspended, so riding arrangements for his father, Aidan’s, two runners in the opening Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden may not be entirely reliable!
The nod falls on O’Brien’s Simply A Star (Seamie Heffernan), who wasn’t knocked about when second behind the impressive Queen Nefertiti on this track.
The market will be worth more than a second glance, however, with O’Brien introducing Magician’s sister, Outstanding (Colm O’Donoghue), in this contest.
Jessica Harrington’s Gambling Girl gets the vote in the Leopardstown Club Membership Maiden.
A useful sort, when on song, Gambling Girl proved no match for O’Brien’s Granddukeoftuscany at Tipperary a week ago, but that was still a reasonable effort.
