Friday racing tips: Hollow Games can deliver perfect start for Elliot

As is customary, Gordon Elliott has strong chances throughout the card and should start off with a winner, Hollow Games, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle.

Fri, 29 Oct, 2021 - 00:05

Tommy Lyons

Two cards today, with the opening day of Down Royal’s feature meeting head and shoulders above the fare at Dundalk.

As is customary, Gordon Elliott has strong chances throughout the card and should start off with a winner, Hollow Games, in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle.

The winning pointer and two-time bumper winner has found a race with no depth and thus is likely to be extremely short in the betting. The exciting five-year-old should have no trouble extending his unblemished record.

Elliott also has two live chances in the Grade 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares’ Novice Hurdle with Glan and Party Central. Over this trip, Glan might be the sharper of his two, but the Colm Murphy-trained Impervious has done little wrong in her two outings to date and shades the verdict.

An easy winner on debut, she was pitched in quite deep for just her second start, in a novice hurdle at Listowel, and there was a lot to like about the way she jumped and the attitude she showed on her way to a narrow-but-shade-comfortable victory over the then 127-rated Ballywilliam Boy. The winner gave the form a boost by winning a novice hurdle at Galway, and Impervious, who remains open to any amount of improvement, should settle a bit better over this shorter trip and is just preferred to the Elliott pair.

If out of luck there, Elliott should get back to winning ways in the Grade 2 WKD Hurdle with Zanahiyr. The end of this one’s first season over hurdles didn’t go as well as the start, but there were plausible excuses for both defeats and he remains potentially top-class over timber. While there are only five runners in today’s race, three of which have no chance on form, the selection will be tested by Cask Mate, who comes here on the back of a runaway success on the Flat.

The eight-year-old was impressive on last season’s first start, in a maiden hurdle at Limerick, followed up at Punchestown, and then lost little in defeat to Ballyadam in the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

Being race-fit is a distinct advantage for Cask Make but Zanahiyr has that scope for improvement which can see him home in front.

The Tote Ten To Follow Beginners’ Chase is the most fascinating race of the day, with Beacon Edge, Grand Paradis, Vanillier, Champagne Gold and Lifetime Ambition all going over fences for the first time.

Of that quintet, Beacon Edge was the highest rated and can come out on top in this intriguing contest. Noel Meade’s seven-year-old was a close third in last season’s Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace, won by Honeysuckle, and followed up by winning a Grade 2 before finishing fourth in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Out of a full sister to Drinmore winner Jessie’s Dream, he is an exciting recruit to chasing and is marginally preferred to the lightly-raced but progressive Grand Paradis. Albert Bartlett winner Vanillier might well prove the best of these in time, but this trip could prove sharp enough for him, while both Champagne Gold and Lifetime Ambition must improve on hurdling form, but both seem certain to do so.

In Dundalk, Orinoco River can finally get off the mark by taking the opener, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden which gets the card underway. Donnacha O’Brien’s filly was behind Thismydream last time but in this smaller field her wide draw won’t be as big an issue and she can reverse that form.

DOWN ROYAL

Tommy Lyons

1:10 Hollow Games

1:45 Impervious

2:20 Zanahiyr (nap)

2:55 Temptationinmilan

3:30 Beacon Edge

4:05 Espion Du Chenet

4:35 Sundrenched

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1:10 Simply Shabra

1:45 Glan