Irish tips: Minella Indo should prove a tough nut to crack on Tramore return
RETURNING STAR: Minella Indo chases home stablemate A Plus Tard in last season's Cheltenham Gold Cup. Picture: Healy Racing
The seasonal debut of 2021 Gold Cup victor and 2022 runner-up Minella Indo in the Grade Three Savills New Year’s Day Chase in Tramore promises to be the highlight of a busy weekend of domestic action.
This race, which Willie Mullins has won eight times in the last 11 years, has been won for the last four years by the now-retired Al Boum Photo.
Sunday’s renewal looks an ideal starting point for Minella Indo, conqueror of stablemate A Plus Tard in his Gold Cup and, last March, runner-up to that rival, when completely outpaced on the run-in.
Now a 10-year-old, Minella Indo hasn’t been seen since being pulled up in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup. But his overall form, including an Albert Bartlett win, a second to Champ in the Brown Advisory Chase, also at Cheltenham, and last season’s campaign which yielded runner-up finishes in both the Irish Gold Cup (behind Conflated) and Cheltenham Gold Cup, should make him very tough to beat.
Elsewhere on the Tramore card, Willie Mullins and Paul Townend should double up in the maiden hurdle action with well-regarded French import Quais De Paris in the opener and Lisnagar Fortune, who looked a potentially smart stayer when winning a Punchestown festival bumper on his debut, in the Jack de Bromhead Memorial Maiden Hurdle.
The Mullins-trained James Du Berlais, runner-up to stable-companion Klassical Dream in the 2021 Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown, should make a successful start to life over fences in the McInerney Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
A dual Grade Three winner in his native France and narrowly beaten in a couple of Grade One contests, this seven-year-old had his first run for Clusutton in the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham before his creditable Punchestown effort and, despite a lengthy absence, should be primed to get the job done here.
If fully recovered from her seventh to Real Steel in the Paddy Power on Tuesday, Paul Fahey’s Ballyshannon Rose might prove best in the Grade Three John & Chich Fowler Memorial Mares Chase.
Beaten narrowly by Dolcita in a Listed race at Clonmel on her previous start, Ballyshannon Rose is 9lb better off with that rival this time and should turn the tables, with Grade Two winner Scarlet And Dove, 15 lengths behind the other pair in Clonmel, expected to improve sufficiently to pose a serious threat.
The final action of 2022 is at Punchestown on Saturday, where, thanks to sponsorship by the Tote, there is free admission for all racegoers.
Run For Oscar, representing Charles and Philip Byrnes, might prove the answer to the Tote Proudly Sponsoring At Punchestown Hurdle.
A versatile performer, with solid hurdle form, he won the English Cesarewitch on his penultimate start and, last time out, performed creditably when third, under top-weight, in a valuable handicap hurdle over in Haydock.
The featured, Tote-sponsored Tara Handicap Hurdle looks ultra-competitive. And, despite a hefty rise of 15lb for his runaway win at Galway back in October, Barry Connell’s Hgranca De Thaix might reward each-way support.
12.15 Shantreusse (NB)
12.47 Friendly Star
1.22 Sinbad Le Marin
1.57 Run For Oscar (Nap)
2.32 Hgranca De Thaix
3.07 Little Mixup
3.42 Abi’s Champ
12.15 Aione
12.47 Stumptown
1.22 Morning Soldier
1.57 Floueur
2.32 Captain Conby
3.07 Maggie Walsh
3.42 Baby Chou
11.55 Quais De Paris
12.30 Indie Belle
1.05 Lisnagar Fortune (NB)
1.40 Lake Chad
2.15 Minella Indo
2.50 Joeswayornoway
3.25 Beating The Odds
11.55 Atimetodream
12.30 Mastermind
1.05 Cardamon Hill
1.40 Ocojohn
2.15 Stattler
2.50 Whiskeywealth
3.25 Shes Some Doll
12.15 Harmonya Maker
12.50 An Forghas
1.25 Trishknowsbest
2.00 Cher Why Not
2.35 Ballyshannon Rose
3.10 James Du Berlais (Nap)
3.45 Stellar Story
12.15 Pink in The Park
12.50 An Mhi
1.25 Musta Lovea Lovea
2.00 Sulafaat
2.35 Scarlet And Dove
3.10 Mahler Mission
3.45 Chrisco
