Duckadilly and Phenomenal Filly should fight out the finish at Leopardstown
Duckadilly and Ben Coen win for trainer Danny McLoughlin. Pic: Healy Racing.
Another day, another Group 3, and this one, the Xin Gin Irish EBF Brownstown Stakes at Leopardstown, looks a tricky puzzle despite the fact there are only six horses in the line-up.
The early market suggests Duckadilly and Phenomenal Filly will fight out the finish but neither horse looks entirely convincing.
The Daniel McLoughlin-trained Duckadilly looked smart when winning at Navan last month but was well beaten in two runs either side of that success.
Phenomenal Filly has a course and distance success on her card but the Paddy Twomey-trained daughter of Sioux Nation hasn’t run since finishing fifth in the Goffs Million at the Curragh last September. Getting 8lbs from her older rivals will aid her cause but this remains a tough task first time out.
With questions about the top two, Fingerpaint might be the way to play.
The Dermot Weld-trained Kingman filly only ran three times as a three-year-old, winning at the Curragh on debut before finishing third in a Group 3 at Tipperary next time out.
She disappointed at Leopardstown on her final start of last season and again underwhelmed when seventh to Duckadilly on her seasonal reappearance.
Cheekpieces go on for the first time for this assignment and, if they have the desired effect, Fingerpaint might be able to make her presence felt.
The Ger Lyons-trained Chantez, twice a winner over course and distance as a three-year-old, may prove the biggest danger to the selection if first-time blinkers work the oracle.
The most appealing bet on the card comes in the opening race, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, where Margot Mae should get off the mark.
Only sixth on debut at Navan in April, the Jessica Harrington-trained Starspangledbanner filly took a significant step forward when a close third to Blonde Over Blue at Leopardstown last month.
That form got a big boost when runner-up Alpha bolted up in a Curragh maiden on Irish Derby day and it’ll be a disappointment if Margot Mae fails to enhance it further today.
Jamestown looks hard to oppose in the Double First Stables Irish EBF Nasrullah Handicap.
The David Marnane Ulysses gelding made it fourth time lucky when scoring at Dundalk in May and built on that with a fine effort when third of 30 in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
He shouldn’t have to run to that level to get back to winning ways here.
4.50 Margot Mae (Nap)
5.25 Zenford
5.55 Fingerpaint
6.28 Liberate
7.03 Jamestown (NB)
7.38 Shelbourne Flyer
8.13 Delta
4.50 Nevermindtherain
5.25 Watch Tower
5.55 Chantez
6.28 Zaraahmando
7.03 Thread Of Gold
7.38 Nibras Rainbow
8.13 Sirius.
