Weekend tips: Journey With Me can put down Ballymore marker

There are some interesting runners in opposition today, including Choice Of Words, O’Toole and Hi Ho Phoenix, but the selection looks a genuinely exciting prospect

Sat, 12 Feb, 2022 - 05:00

Tommy Lyons

Journey With Me holds a prominent place in the betting for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and he can cement his position by taking the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Novice Hurdle on this afternoon’s card in Naas.

An easy winner of his only point-to-point, and deeply impressive on his bumper debut, he made his hurdling debut at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting and made all for a comfortable success.

Runner-up Minella Crooner won his maiden next time and gave a further boost to the form by finishing runner-up in a Grade One at the Dublin Racing Festival.

There are some interesting runners in opposition today, including Choice Of Words, O’Toole, and Hi Ho Phoenix, but the selection looks a genuinely exciting prospect and can account for all of them.

Willie Mullins has a couple of penalty kicks in Elimay and Billaway. The former is bidding for back-to-back victories in the listed BBA Ireland Limited Opera Hat Mares’ Chase and is impossible to oppose. On ratings, there is not much between her and Court Maid, but over today’s trip and being in better form coming into the race she should be far too sharp for that rival. This race should put her spot-on for a second tilt at the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Billaway was very weak in the betting prior to his defeat on his recent comeback but with that run under his belt he will be hard to beat in the Congratulations To Naas GAA On An Incredible Year Hunters’ Chase. Just like Elimay, he was touched off at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, and this race is an opportunity to put him right for a bid to recoup last season’s losses.

Bumper winner Harold Hardrad can get off the mark over timber in the first division of the Cavan Developments Supporting Kill GAA Maiden Hurdle. Noel Meade’s seven-year-old was impressive on his belated debut in a Clonmel bumper, and the form received a boost when runner-up Bold Getaway won a maiden hurdle at the first attempt, and when third-placed Youralwaysdreamin won his bumper next time.

Picked up late by the highly regarded Whatdeawant on his hurdling debut in a two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle, the selection drops back to two miles this afternoon and that looks a good move. This is a decent race, but he sets a good standard and can prevail at the expense of Brooklynn Glory. The latter, a decent sort in bumpers, was challenging when falling at the last on her hurdling debut and if none the worse for that experience, she will give the selection something to think about.

NAAS (Saturday)

Tommy Lyons

1:05 Un Des Flos

1:40 Journey With Me (Nap)

2:15 Harold Hardrad (nb)

2:50 Goven

3:25 The Toothpicker

4:00 Elimay

4:30 Billaway

5:00 Trust Me Nate

Next best

1:05 Brazil

1:40 Choice Of Words

2:15 Brooklynn Glory

2:50 Mighty Blue

3:25 Whiskey Lullaby

4:00 Court Maid

4:30 Ask D’man

5:00 Scholes

Tomorrow’s card in Punchestown makes limited appeal, but Shady Operator ought to get punters off to a positive start by taking the Hollywoodbets Bet €10 Get €30 P.P. Hogan Memorial Cross Country Chase for the second consecutive year.

Enda Bolger’s horse won the Risk Of Thunder Chase here in November but was tailed off in a handicap hurdle on his most recent start. That effort is best forgotten, and the return to Punchestown, where he boasts a record of three wins and two runner-up finishes in five starts, can be expected to result in a return to form. He can confirm last year’s form with runner-up Blast Of Koeman.

Ciel De Neige can complete his hat-trick over fences by taking the Hollywoodbets Cheltenham Festival Preview March 3 Rated Novice Hurdle. A smart hurdler, he readily accounted for Crosshill on his chasing debut, in November, and did likewise with Busselton in a rated novice chase on his next start. He looks quite a bit better over fences than he was over hurdles and can continue his upward trajectory tomorrow afternoon.

PUNCHESTOWN (Sunday)

Tommy Lyons

1:40 Shady Operator (NB)

2:10 Ciel De Neige (Nap)

2:40 Floueur

3:10 Deploy The Getaway

3:40 Jack In The Box

4:10 Ask And Answer

4:40 James’s Gate

Next best

1:40 Blast Of Koeman

2:10 You Raised Me Up