Dundalk tips: Riccardi Medici can continue Michael Halford's renaissance

Joseph O’Brien has two strong chances in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden

Wed, 02 Nov, 2022 - 07:30

Tommy Lyons

Riccardi Medici can continue the fine recent run of trainer Michael Halford by taking the first division of the View Restaurant At Dundalk Handicap, the seventh race on the eight-race midweek card in Dundalk.

Raced just once at two, the colt has been much busier this time, and his recent return to the all-weather suggested his first winning turn was not too far away.

After finding early trouble in that race, he was out the back most of the way and was forced to come wide to make his effort. He never looked like getting to the leaders but stayed on strongly to snatch third place on the line. That was over a mile and a quarter and it’s easy to see why he is stepping up to a mile and a half this time. Open to further improvement, he will take plenty of beating.

Joseph O’Brien has two strong chances in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden and can land the spoils with stable debutant Sybil Charm.

On her only outing to date, she finished runner-up to Madly Truly, who is also from O’Brien’s Owning Hill yard. However, on that occasion she was trained by Johnny Murtagh and has since been bought by the owners of Madly Truly.

The winner hasn’t run since but the third, Highly Desirable, finished third in a listed race and earned a mark of 97, while the fourth, Lumiere Rock (also trained by O’Brien) won a Group 3 and is rated 101. There were other winners behind (Speirling Beag and Mile End) and while Sibyl Charm was in receipt of 9lbs from the winner, it is clear the fact she went down by only a head impressed connections of the winner.

She raced quite keenly through the early stages of that race but found plenty when in the clear and it could be argued she was a shade unlucky. She can only improve for the experience and is just preferred to stablemate Shadowed.

The last-named is rated 88 following two good efforts, the more recent behind subsequent runaway winner of the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Auguste Rodin. The issue with this fellow is that he hasn’t been seen since early July and there is a chance he will need the run.

DUNDALK

Tommy Lyons

2:00 Bucky Larson

2:30 Cedar Rapids

3:00 Riesling

3:30 Sibyl Charm (nb)

4:00 Maestro Stick

4:30 Company Keeping

5:05 Riccardi Medici (nap)

5:40 Baby Bubbles

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2:00 Prioritise