Today's tips: Drop in class and faster ground to aid Foxtrot Charlie’s cause at Leopardstown
A winner on debut in 2015, when easy to back, he was off from that day in July until returning in a Group 3 at the Curragh late last month. On that occasion, he tried hard to make a race of it with the well-backed favourite, Beacon Rock, and it was only in the closing stages his effort petered out.
He just held on to third place, less than three lengths behind the winner, but seems sure to have come on for the outing.
It was a demanding starting point for the colt coming straight from maiden company, but everything about the effort suggested he could hold his own at that level.
The drop to listed company and return to faster ground should aid the cause of the English Channel colt, and he can take this at the expense of Tennessee Wildcat and Orcia.
No Biggie can take the closing race for Joseph and Ana O’Brien. This is a modest event, and the lightly raced three-year-old ran well in defeat on his last three outings, which included a close fourth behind stable companion Zig Zag on the most recent of them.
With a rating of just 49, he’s clearly no star, but O’Brien has been doing particularly well with his handicappers, and looks to have found this fellow a great opportunity to make the breakthrough.
The market will reveal plenty about expectations in the first two maidens, but surely the most interesting runner is Douglas Macarthur, who contests the second race.
By Galileo out of Alluring Park, he is a full brother to former Epsom Oaks winner Was, and cost 1.25m guineas as a yearling. As one would expect, he holds fancy entries, and should be closely monitored here.
Beat The Ballot can take the Alsan Apprentice Handicap for Tracey Collins and Gary Halpin. The selection was a course and distance winner 12 months ago, and has run better this season than his form figures would suggest. In what looks a very winnable race, he can secure a fifth career victory.
