Clonmel tips: Western Zara can make perfect start to life over fences
Paul Nolan reports Western Zara to be a particularly good jumper. Picture: Healy Racing
Western Zara can make a winning start over fences in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares’ Beginners’ Chase, the first race on Thursday afternoon’s card in Clonmel. Based on her hurdling form, Paul Nolan’s six-year-old has something to find with some of her rivals, but she has a couple of things in her favour.
A lightly raced sort, late last season she was a touch fortunate when winning a maiden hurdle in Clonmel but regardless of that it was going to be a good effort from the grey. She then made it third time lucky this season when winning a handicap at Fairyhouse. That most-recent effort prompted the assessor to raise her handicap mark 9lbs to 111 and there is every reason to believe she can continue to improve. She is also a very good jumper of hurdles and ran a fine race on her only outing in a point-to-point.
Her trainer reports her to be a particularly good jumper and his insistence on putting her over fences at this stage reads as a positive. On paper, it is a reasonably tough task against the likes of Rebel Early, Razzle Dazzle Love, Fort Worth Texas, and Carrigeen Lotus but she is a promising sort, very much unexposed, and can progress past them.
After appearing to struggle to get home over almost three miles on his most recent start, Whatsavailable can show his true worth and gain an overdue winning bracket in the two-and-a-quarter-mile Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle.
Mouse Morris’ horse has some fine form, including a fine third behind Watch Out Cross at Leopardstown and when filling the same space behind Classic Getaway at Punchestown. In this lesser company he looks sure to run a big race.
Plains Indian was just touched off last time and has leading claims again, while point-to-point winner So Scottish showed promise in all three bumpers and must be respected.
Bravo Team will take a great deal of beating in the Fethard Maiden Hurdle. Gordon Elliott’s point-to-point winner showed fine form in both outings in bumpers, the first of which was a fourth-place finish behind The Nice Guy in a race which has worked out well. Next time out, he ran as well as could be expected when fourth, beaten more than 16 lengths behind Redemption Day in a bumper at the Christmas meeting in Leopardstown.
In the middle of last month, he had his focus switched to hurdling and made a promising start despite being well beaten into fifth place behind Meet And Greet, who finished runner-up in a Grade Two on his next start. This race represents a significantly easier task and he can make the most of the opportunity.
2:20 Western Zara (Nap)
2:50 Full Noise
3:20 Bravo Team
3:51 Dazzling Love
4:21 Whatsavailable (NB)
4:51 Wild Hunt
5:21 Visible Attraction
2:20 Rebel Early
2:50 Enduring Love
3:20 Always Enchanting
3:51 Shean Glory
4:21 Plains Indian
4:51 Mahler Appeal
5:21 Bluebell Diva
