Gowran Park tips: Diol Ker has much in his favour in competitive Thyestes

Thu, 27 Jan, 2022 - 05:00

Tommy Lyons

It is Goffs Thyestes Chase Day in Gowran Park and with Covid restrictions lifted quite considerably recently, a bumper crowd can be expected at the Kilkenny venue. The feature race is as competitive as ever, but the Noel Meade-trained Diol Ker has much in his favour today.

He is a maiden over fences, but just 12 months ago winner Coko Beach held the same status before he raced to an emphatic success for the same owners, Gigginstown House Stud. The selection’s chasing career got off to a bad start when he fell in a beginners’ chase won by Pencilfulloflead. After a couple of placed efforts, he fell again in a Grade three in Cork in November but has had three clear rounds since.

All those efforts have resulted in a mark of 135, which compares particularly well relate to his hurdling mark, which reached a high in the early 150s.

That suggests, in theory at least, that he is more than a stone ‘well in’ over fences and to offer more encouragement, he posted one of his best efforts over hurdles when finishing runner-up to Sams Profile in the Grade Two Galmoy Hurdle on this card 12 months ago.

He has never won a race beyond two and a half miles but that run clearly showed that he stays three miles, and he was probably a shade unlucky as he was forced to check after the final flight and was coming back at the winner as the line loomed. Conditions should be no problem to him, he has just 9-13 to carry, and if his jumping holds up, he will surely go very close.

Longhouse Poet remains with potential over fences, though he has clearly had his problems. He was a high-class novice and if his run at Limerick’s Christmas meeting has brought him back to that sort of form, he will go close.

Braeside ran well in the Paddy Power Chase following on from a doughty success in the Cork National and thus must be respected, though whether the ground will be testing enough for him remains to be seen.

Munster National winner Ontheropes has cheekpieces fitted for the first time and it will be interest to see if they have any effect, while stablemate Class Conti couldn’t be accused of being consistent, but he finished third in this race last year, and runner-up the year before, and another run into the frame wouldn’t be a surprise.

Death Duty also makes each-way appeal. A Grade One winner in younger days, he ran a superb race in the Paddy Power Chase, having been off the track for more than a year, and will be better suited to today’s conditions.

The nap on the card is Coeur Sublime, who fully deserves to get off the mark over fences in the Daly Farrell Chartered Accountants Beginners’ Chase. Formerly with Gordon Elliott and Gearoid O’Loughlin, he made his chasing debut on his first start for Henry de Bromhead and gave Ferny Hollow a real fright before finishing a four-length runner-up.

He then went to the Grade One at Leopardstown and was beaten further behind the winner, this time in third place, but it was a fine effort nonetheless.

He hasn’t won a race since November 2019, but he is rated 150 over hurdles, is a good jumper of fences, and can make the most of this opportunity.

GOWRAN PARK

Tommy Lyons

1:00 The Toothpicker

1:35 Glengouly

2:05 Klassical Dream

2:35 Auckland

3:05 Diol Ker (nb)

3:35 Coeur Sublime (nap)

4:07 Mercurey

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1:00 Kashi