Charlus should prove tough nut to crack in Clonmel
Charlus, right, was touched off by Sea Of Sands at Punchestown last month but may be able to go one place better at Clonmel on Thursday. Picture: Healy Racing
Irish racing resumes with a seven-race card in Clonmel where the Willie Mullins-trained Charlus should prove tough to beat in the Munster Hurdle.
This Churchill gelding, a three-time winner for Jean-Claude Roget in France, has won once from three hurdle outings since joining the Closutton team, scoring on his stable debut in a Naas maiden almost a year ago, beating Holy See.
He later contested the Triumph Hurdle, won by unconsidered stable-companion Poniros, at Cheltenham, but failed to make an impression.
Mullins campaigned Charlus on the Flat during the summer — he finished third to Taipan in a conditions event at the Galway festival and contested a trio of ultra-competitive handicaps, the Copper Horse in Royal Ascot, the Ebor and the Petingo.
Back over hurdles last time, Charlus had to settle for the runner-up berth behind stablemate Sea Of Sands at Punchestown last month, his first outing since September.
The selection might be a bit sharper at Clonmel and, rated 132, Paul Townend’s mount sets the standard in a field which includes stable-companion Baby Kate, a big danger, if back to her best, and Gordon Elliott’s Santo Sospir, winner of his maiden hurdle at Punchestown back in November.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Shoda, successful twice on the Flat and rated 90 in that sphere, will be a popular fancy for the Kilsheelan Mares Maiden Hurdle on the back of her creditable third to Ballyfad at Leopardstown recently.
But, placed in her three hurdles starts and rated 117, the Carriganog filly might struggle to concede 8lb to Henry de Bromhead’s Radiator Springs, winner of a point-to-point at Tattersalls for Colin Bowe and promising on her stable debut in Naas.
The Doyen mare was a 40-1 shot for her hurdle debut in Naas but defied those odds in finishing third, admittedly beaten more than 11 lengths, behind Oldschool Outlaw and last season’s top bumper performer Bambino Fever.
With improvement expected, Radiator Springs might be capable of seizing this opportunity.
David Christie, who has won the Rathronan Maiden Hunters Chase with Ask D’Man and Some Man in recent years, might strike again with class-dropper My Life Be Like, the mount of Barry O’Neill.
Winner of four point-to-points, most recently in Portrush, this fellow ran a cracker in a hot ‘hunters’ at Down Royal over Christmas, finishing a solid fourth behind It’s On The Line, Willitgoahead, and Con’s Roc.
This looks a more straight-forward assignment for the five-year-old Getaway gelding. And he gets the vote outpoint Magic Sadler, winner of seven point-to-points and Closutton recruit I Walked The Line.
12.20 KIlbrin Rocco
12.50 My Life Be Like
1.20 Charlus (Nap)
1.50 Radiator Springs (NB)
2.20 Speculateur
2.50 Gino Bello
3.20 Brown Boots
12.20 The Big Cloud
12.50 Magic Sadler
1.20 Santo Sospir
1.50 Shoda
2.20 Gorvitho
2.50 Finnicky Filly
3.20 Midweek Voices
