18:25 Clonmel

Thursday 7 September 2017

All16:2516:5517:2517:5518:2518:5519:25

Giantsgrave Handicap Hurdle (80-95)

Off time: 18:25 | Winning time: 4m 47.90s

Native Lass⁹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: N M Kelly⁽⁵⁾| T: M Winters| OR: 93| C

9/1

Won at this meeting a year ago but is rated 3lb higher now and efforts over fences recently not inspiring. Switches back to hurdles with plenty to work on.

Form: 153-620

Chapelier¹⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: S J Gray⁽³⁾| T: E J O'Grady| OR: 90

20/1

Still a maiden after six starts over timber and has been going the wrong way in three runs since positive fourth of 13 over 2m at Tramore in June. Hard to fancy on form since.

Form: C4-4605

Masterchippy¹⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: D J Hand⁽⁷⁾| T: N Dooly| OR: 89

10/1

Placed just twice in 17 starts over timber so far, recent efforts haven't offered a lot of encouragement. Up in trip for this and must improve.

Form: 036856

Meadow Cross^b¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: I J McCarthy| T: D Hogan| OR: 89

12/1

Hard to see where any improvement is going to come from given her three starts this season including a 69L defeat last time out over fences at Kilbeggan 13 days ago.

Form: 630-499

Jack The Hat^b,t¹⁴

Age: 12| Weight: 11-5| J: Robbie Colgan| T: Madeleine Tylicki| OR: 88| D

7/1

Has come back this summer from two-year break, winning a handicap chase at Perth last month (2m4f, good to soft) on second start. Pulled up over fences at Kilbeggan latest, on a nice mark for this return to hurdling in Ireland potentially.

Form: 34/013P

Adarenna^v1⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: N T Prendergast⁽⁷⁾| T: J J Hanlon| OR: 87

16/1

Ended last year with victory in Towcester novice handicap chase (2m, good to soft) but 2017 has so far brought bitter disappointment in chase/hurdles/Flat attempts. Impossible to support on current form.

Form: 35P0P5

Megara^p,t¹⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-2| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell| OR: 85

50/1

Couple of Flat wins on the AW on his CV but unplaced in six starts over timber with form mediocre at best, no suspicion that will change now.

Form: 900-098

Millen Dollar Man⁶³

Age: 8| Weight: 11-2| J: D J McInerney⁽⁷⁾| T: W Harney| OR: 85| C

9/1

C&D win in May the sole success after 21 hurdles outings, has gone ok in one of three runs since but hard to rely on and probably remains his enough in ratings for now.

Form: 0-8125P

Wiiphania³¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: C D Timmons⁽³⁾| T: T J Taaffe| OR: 85

8/1

Maiden after 11 starts and beaten 24L last month at Cork over this sort of trip, easier to look elsewhere for betting purposes.

Form: 60-4030

Call His Bluff⁴⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: S A Shortall⁽³⁾| T: N P Hennessy| OR: 84

33/1

Poor in all three maiden hurdles and was beaten 35L at Kilbeggan on sole handicap outing so far over 2m1f on good ground. Stiff ask.

Form: P-0080

Kilcaragh Boy^b1⁴¹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-1| J: J J Burke| T: Miss D O'Shea| OR: 84

7/1

Record reads 1-24 over flights, beaten 22L over this sort of trip at Wexford in July when last spotted and needs first-time blinkers need to work oracle here.

Form: 0B7470

Spirit Of The Rain¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-1| J: Kevin Sexton| T: A Slattery| OR: 89

20/1

She suffered hefty defeats in maiden hurdles during June/July over 2m and 2m4f and similar tale in pair of Flat runs since, facing an uphill task on this handicap bow back over the jumps.

Form: 507

Bad Cigar¹⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 11-0| J: M J Bolger| T: F Costello| OR: 83

12/1

Hasn't shown anything in three runs back from a four-year layoff to warrant support, somewhat better last month over 2m on the Flat at Tramore but hurdles form has been tame.

Form: 4324/80

Silent Account¹⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 10-12| J: C D Maxwell| T: D Donovan| OR: 81

10/1

Quirky sort, pulled up four times on the bounce before finishing second at Fontwell (2m3f, good to firm) a fortnight ago, races from 11lb lower mark in Ireland if able to replicate that effort now.

Form: 6PP-PP2

Athdara Steeler¹⁰³

Age: 6| Weight: 10-11| J: C M Walsh⁽⁷⁾| T: J Barcoe| OR: 80

25/1

Lightly raced but has shown very little in handicap hurdles and, more recently, point-to-points. No realistic chance here on form and so others readily preferred.

Form: 7004-7P

Sir Vincent³²

Age: 14| Weight: 10-11| J: C D Meehan⁽⁷⁾| T: H Beggs| OR: 80

40/1

Now a 14-year-old and hasn't won since 2013, both efforts for this yard have been laboured and not hard to bypass at the moment.

Form: F1/P9-0P

Jeremys Hope^t²⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 10-7| J: Rochelle Murphy⁽⁷⁾| T: D E Fitzgerald| OR: 81

16/1

Tailed off on first seven starts over these obstacles, did remain competitive last time at Kilbeggan (2m3½f, good) a month ago, but needs to build on that showing before gaining trust.

Form: 7-08005

Aurora's Dream^b¹⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 10-11| J: C A Landers⁽⁷⁾| T: G Keane| OR: 80

5/1

One win from 21 starts over timber, getting some relief from handicapper this term in four starts, but yet to suggest it will bring return to winning ways (First Reserve).

Form: 40-0754

Non-Runners

Fly Round The Bend³⁰

Weight: 11-5| Age: 6

T: J J Walsh J: F J Hayes

Model Cloud⁴⁷

Weight: 11-0| Age: 7

T: M Winters J: Reserve 2

Something Sweet⁵

Weight: 11-3| Age: 5

T: R J McGrath J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Aurora's Dream (5/1), Jack The Hat (7/1), Kilcaragh Boy (7/1), Wiiphania (8/1), Something Sweet (8/1), Native Lass (9/1), Millen Dollar Man (9/1), Silent Account (10/1), Masterchippy (10/1), Meadow Cross (12/1), Bad Cigar (12/1), Adarenna (16/1), Jeremys Hope (16/1), Model Cloud (16/1), Fly Round The Bend (16/1), Chapelier (20/1), Spirit Of The Rain (20/1), Athdara Steeler (25/1), Call His Bluff (33/1), Sir Vincent (40/1), Megara (50/1)

These are not an easy bunch to fall in love with, and some caution is called for. Silent Account ended a run of four incomplete races when second at Fontwell recently over this sort of trip and gets a great chance to score off a much lower Irish hurdles mark now. Millen Dollar Man does at least boast C&D winning form from May, though will need to be at his best to score here. Jeremys Hope posted a much better effort last time and might build on it but JACK THE HAT won over fences at Perth in July not long after a two-year break and finds himself on a workable mark now going over timber in this country for the first time since August 2015 and that could help him net this winnable prize.