Independent Expert should shine on Dundalk return

The six-year-old Independent Expert, trained by Stephen Thorne, has a good record at Dundalk with two wins and two placed efforts from six starts

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025 - 05:57

Tommy Lyons

Another midweek visit to Dundalk, where Independent Expert makes plenty of appeal in the second race, the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Claiming Race.

The six-year-old, trained by Stephen Thorne, has a good record here, boasting two wins and two placed efforts from six starts. Her most recent win came here in October, in a similar race to today’s, and she backed up that effort with a good run in defeat over a furlong further.

Back to seven furlongs and with a favourable draw, she should be in the van throughout and can make the most of the opportunity to put an eighth victory on her card.

Venetian is in fine form and should be involved, while money for Denis Hogan’s stable debutant Earthwatch, on which the trainer is making a comeback to riding on the Flat, would be interesting.

All The Girls was an impressive winner here on just her second start, and the juvenile can follow up in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Race.

Tom McCourt’s filly was a 50-1 chance on debut but there was distinct promise in her eighth-place finish. A 40-1 chance on her second start, she didn’t enjoy the best of luck in running but once switched out to make a late run, she picked up in great style to win by a wide margin.

Despite the odds, there certainly was no fluke about that performance and while there are a number of unknowns in this race, there are plenty of reasons to believe she will be hard to beat. With just 8-13 to carry, she is in receipt of 9lbs from the most interesting of her rivals, Greek Mythology, and can score at that one’s expense. First-time-out winner Alissam, from the stable of Stephen Thorne, is also worth considering.

The opening race is the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, and it could be worth taking a chance on Mina Bonita making a winning stable debut for Cormac Farrell. Fourth on both starts for Ado McGuinness, she showed plenty of pace on both occasions, and in this lesser contest, she could prove hard to catch.

Fox In Flight is dropping back to five furlongs and has obvious claims, while money for either of the newcomers, Natalia Lupini’s Pass Me If You Can and Andy Slattery’s Sayonara, would be worth noting.

DUNDALK

3:20 Mina Bonita

3:55 Independent Expert (nap)

4:25 All The Girls (nb)

4:55 Velvet Skies

5:25 Hero Of The Hour

5:55 Mo Anam Chara

6:25 Eastern Peace

Next best

3:20 Fox In Flight

3:55 Venetian

4:25 Greek Mythology