Dancing Meadows one to beat at Downpatrick

Two meetings in Ireland today, where the national-hunt fare goes ahead at Downpatrick and Dancing Meadows can get off the mark over hurdles in the opening race.

The Gordon Elliott-trained mare won two bumpers and wasn’t disgraced in the listed national hunt flat race at Cheltenham. She has taken time to get her act together over obstacles, but her most recent effort, at Perth, was the most encouraging of her five outings to date, and this doesn’t look a particularly tough maiden.

Declared to wear a hood for the first time, if that ekes out further improvement, she’ll take plenty of beating.