15:25 Down Royal

Tuesday 26 December 2017

All12:1012:4013:1013:4514:1514:5015:25

Down Royal Racecourse Of The Year 2017 (Pro/Am) Flat Race

Off time: 15:25 | Winning time: 4m 16.0s

Boston Burglar

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Mr M J O'Hare⁽⁵⁾| T: J G Cosgrave

25/1

Unraced Trans Island gelding purchased for €8,000 at the sales as a three-year-old. Dam an unraced daughter of Oscar and he is probably best watched on racecourse debut.

Form:

Brace Yourself⁵⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-11| J: Ms N Carberry| T: N Meade

5/2

Good effort to finish runner-up in a maiden point-to-point at Portrush (soft-to-heavy) in October. Purchased for £165,000 subsequently and he is likely to play a leading role on his rules and stable debut.

Form: 2

Dorydalis^t²⁵⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-11| J: Mr J J Codd| T: G Elliott| D

10/11

Point-to-point winner at Ballinaboola (soft-to-heavy) in February and ran well to finish fourth in a valuable bumper at Fairyhouse (good-to-yielding) subsequently. One to note on his seasonal debut.

Form: 14-

Ruthless Article

Age: 4| Weight: 11-11| J: Mr R James⁽⁷⁾| T: Mrs S Dawson

33/1

Unraced son of Definite Article and is a half-brother to dual rules winner Steel Bob. Stable are just 1/19 in bumpers in recent seasons and others make more appeal.

Form:

Smoking Gun

Age: 4| Weight: 11-11| J: Mr T Hamilton⁽⁵⁾| T: J P O'Brien

7/2

Unraced Gold Well gelding cost €80,000 at the sales as a three-year-old in June last year. Half-brother to the useful pair of Hazy Tom and The Housekeeper and he is worth a check in the market on debut.

Form:

Daenerys Stormborn^h1

Age: 4| Weight: 11-4| J: Ms K Ferris⁽⁷⁾| T: Eoin Barry

25/1

Unraced September Storm filly and a full-sister to rules and point-to-point winner Running In Heels. Also a half-sister to he useful performer Strongpoint and she wears a hood for today's debut.

Form:

Lily's Gem

Age: 4| Weight: 11-4| J: Mr A J Fox⁽⁷⁾| T: S R B Crawford

12/1

Unraced daughter of Scorpion out of an unraced half-sister to five winners under rules. Represents a yard who have done well in bumpers in the past and market support would be interesting today.

Form:

Never Lie Down^h1

Age: 4| Weight: 11-4| J: Mr N McParlan⁽³⁾| T: Adrian Mcallister

25/1

Unraced Getaway filly bought for €800 at the sales as a yearling. Dam was unraced and she is probably best watched wearing a hood for today's debut.

Form:

Forecasts

Dorydalis (10/11), Brace Yourself (5/2), Smoking Gun (7/2), Lily's Gem (12/1), Boston Burglar (25/1), Daenerys Stormborn (25/1), Never Lie Down (25/1), Ruthless Article (33/1)

BRACE YOURSELF can make a winning rules debut by taking the concluding bumper on the card. The selection is out of a mare who is a half-sister to a useful bumper performer and Noel Meade's charge can get the better of Dorydalis who ran well in a highly competitive contest on rules debut in the spring. Of the remainder Smoking Gun hails from a leading yard and can finish third on debut.