Today's Tips: Lucky Pass can stretch unbeaten record to three in Bumper at Leopardstown
The four-year-old Ultimately Lucky gelding won his point to point at Loughanmore in April, and made a winning track debut when accounting for Avellino in a bumper last month at Fairyhouse. The runner-up went into many a notebook that day and duly boosted the form when winning her bumper on her next start, at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day.
With plenty more like to come from Lucky Pass, the four-year-old is preferred to another promising sort, Jack The Wire.
Only four go to post for the Grade 1 Neville Hotels Novice Chase and it’s hard to look beyond No More Heroes, who had made a deep impression in both previous outings over fences.
An easy winner on debut at Punchestown, he made light of the step up to Grade 1 company when winning the Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse last time. The step up to three miles can prompt further improvement, and the Presenting gelding can complete his hat-trick over fences at the expense of Monksland, who chased him home at Fairyhouse.
Court Frontier should be hard to beat in the opening race, a two-mile-five handicap chase. Alan Fleming’s horse made his seasonal debut in a handicap hurdle, and was most impressive as he sauntered clear to win by a wide margin. He was given 12lbs for that victory, and uses the same mark on his return to chasing this afternoon. With proven stamina on testing ground, and the assistance of John Fitzpatrick, who has ridden him in his last seven races, a positive ride could get many of his rivals out of their comfort zone from an early stage.
The seven-year-old looks to be on an upward curve, and gets the vote ahead of Kilcrea and On The Shannon.
Space Cadet is likely to be a hot favourite for the two-mile-four maiden hurdle and so the value lies with point to point and bumper winner Call It Magic. Ross O’Sullivan’s gelding ran a very promising race on his hurdling debut when beaten less than eight lengths, behind the classy Anibale Fly.
He faded late to finish sixth on that occasion, suggesting he would come on for the run.
With the experience under his belt, he looks sure to put in an improved display, and should give punters a good run for their money, at a decent price.
- Today’s meeting at Limerick has been cancelled due to a waterlogged track.
Though the track has been declared fit for racing for the last two days, heavy rain on Monday afternoon left the situation untenable.
A tweet posted by the course read: “Racing @LimerickRaces has been cancelled on Tue 29 Dec as track is unfit for racing due to heavy rainfall this afternoon.”
The seven-race card was due to feature the Grade Two Kirkland Investments Novice Hurdle. The big race has, however, now been transferred to Punchestown on New Year’s Ev
