Let Her Cry can prevail in first at Ballinrobe

Two meetings in Ireland today, and Let Her Cry, who contests the opening race at Ballinrobe, can get punters off to a flyer.

Fri, 15 Apr, 2016 - 01:00

Tommy Lyons

Shay Barry’s filly was entered for Tramore last Sunday, but rerouted here when that meeting was abandoned.

That may prove a positive for her, as this looks a marginally more manageable assignment for the lightly-raced five-year-old.

On her most recent start, she finished third behind Miss Me Now and West Bridge, and that level of form should be good enough to earn reward this time.

She was dropped out and brought late on that occasion, but will have to be ridden somewhat more prominently around this tight circuit.

The real positive from her recent form is that she handles a very testing surface, which she is likely to get today, and she is preferred to Killahara Castle, who could run well at a big price, and Solar Heat, whose best form is on a sounder surface.

Mic Milano can take the third race, a two-mile-one handicap hurdle, for trainer John Ryan.

A winner at this track, albeit some time ago, he showed he copes with really testing conditions when winning a handicap hurdle under today’s rider, seven-pound claimer Tommy Brett, at Limerick in November.

For a nine-year-old, he is very lightly raced and the drop back in trip won’t be an issue in today’s conditions.

In a winnable race, he should prove hard to beat.

Long Journey Home looks the best alternative. This fellow ran a super race when runner-up in testing conditions at Cork last month, has scope for improvement over hurdles, and will be hard to keep out of the frame.

At Dundalk, Dolce Strega can make a winning return in the median auction race. Willie McCreery’s three-year-old filly ran five times as a juvenile, winning once. After her success at Tipperary, she had her sights set quite high, and finished the season being beaten just half a length by Best In The World in a listed race at the Curragh.

While that effort suggests the drop back to seven furlongs, from one mile, may not be ideal, she looks plenty classy enough to deal with this evening’s rivals.

Coming from the Jim Bolger yard, Burning Bullet must be respected, despite having to give weight away to all of his rivals.

He won on his only start at two and is likely to take a significant step forward this term.