12:35 Navan

Sunday 11 November 2018

All12:3513:0513:3514:1014:4015:1515:45

John Joe Finnegan Memorial Handicap Hurdle (80-116)

Off time: 12:35 | Winning time: 5m 25.4s

Lord In Red^t⁴¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-10| J: Sean Flanagan| T: N Meade| OR: 114

7/1

Landed a 17-runner novice hurdle at Roscommon (2m4f, good) last time out, showing improved form to do so. Up in distance and likely more needed from opening handicap mark.

Form: 40-4031

Captainofthefleet²³⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 11-7| J: E O'Connell⁽⁷⁾| T: E O'Connell| OR: 111

40/1

Rating continues to drop but it is now 19 runs since last win in 2015 and, back from latest break, prefer to look elsewhere.

Form: 0076F6-

Waaheb^b²⁸

Age: 11| Weight: 11-7| J: Mr L P Gilligan⁽⁷⁾| T: P Roche| OR: 111

8/1

Yet to see anything like his best in low-mileage 2018 campaign on the Flat and over timber (four starts). Poor here on the Flat latest, mark eases again but needs to bounce back.

Form: 60900-6

Stacks Mountain⁵²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead| OR: 110

7/1

Runner-up last time in 2m4f soft-ground Clonmel novice contest. Bumped up 4lb for his trouble but wouldn't be safe to rule out.

Form: 8/37-482

Lake Takapuna²¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-5| J: D J Mullins| T: R P McNamara| OR: 109

16/1

Pulled up at Galway Festival over timber, has won since over fences from a mark of 120, so cannot be ignored reverting to this sphere from mark 11lb lower after another sound chase run since.

Form: 0-89P14

Pi Ahio¹¹⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: M J Bolger| T: H Rogers| OR: 108

50/1

French import, cut no ice over this sort of trip on stable bow at Ballinrobe in July, off since and has work to do. Betting will reveal more.

Form: 5115F-6

Market's Field¹⁵⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-1| J: D J McInerney⁽³⁾| T: E Bolger| OR: 105

9/1

Winner over hurdles and fences in August 2017 over 2m4f-3m, fair run off this mark at Kilbeggan (2m, good) in June when last spotted. Worth noting in the market on return.

Form: 61140-6

Steamboat Bill⁷²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-1| J: Danny Mullins| T: H Smyth| OR: 105

66/1

Won off a mark of 120 for Gordon Elliott in July 2016 at Roscommon (3m1f, yielding) but has mostly struggled since. Burst blood vessels at Galway Festival and poor in one run since. Hard to make case for, despite reduced mark.

Form: 0P-4000

Aasleagh Dawn¹⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-0| J: G N Fox| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 104

20/1

Mare won a good-ground Downpatrick maiden over 2m2f in July and has gone well enough in handicaps from this sort of mark since, though couple of recent starts at Ludlow and Galway below her best.

Form: 120647

Oh'herewego^p¹⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-0| J: Donagh Meyler| T: V T O'Brien| OR: 104

10/1

Enjoying a good spell, with three win in four starts prior to unseating rider early door at Galway last time. All wins at 3m+, remains on career-high mark but wouldn't like to be overlooking.

Form: 4-1911U

Serious Ego^p⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: D N Russell| T: G Elliott| OR: 102

7/1

Lightly-raced maiden, appeared set for challenge on handicap debut over 3m at Down Royal nine days ago, but didn't find as much as looked likely. Drops slightly in distance and another worth keeping in mind.

Form: 1-93875

Nerual^p¹⁷¹

Age: 7| Weight: 10-7| J: C J Orr⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss E Doyle| OR: 97

14/1

21-race maiden under rules, though has often run solid races in that time. Comes back from a break here and has headgear returning. Booking of talented 7lb claimer has to be a positive.

Form: 2U2-863

Epsilon Indi²¹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-6| J: B J Cooper| T: R P McNamara| OR: 96

8/1

Runner-up in 3m handicap hurdle at Cork last month under Bryan Cooper, 1lb higher in the ratings now but should give his running again.

Form: 513F62

Chapter Two¹⁹¹

Age: 8| Weight: 10-2| J: I J McCarthy| T: T F Shaw| OR: 92

20/1

Presenting mare, multiple point-to-point winner and produced career-best under rules to win handicap hurdle at Cork (3m, soft to heavy) in May. Not sighted since and rated 9lb higher, isn't one to rely too heavily on seemingly.

Form: 35323-1

Whitber's Choice^t¹⁰⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 10-0| J: Sean O'Keeffe⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss E Doyle| OR: 90

20/1

Consistent sort despite not getting her head in front. Not seen since falling in a Wexford handicap hurdle in July so fitness to be taken on trust.

Form: 23/553F

William Tyndale^t⁵⁰⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 9-12| J: Robbie Colgan| T: K Thornton| OR: 88

14/1

Produced nothing of note in four-race maiden hurdle career but much more like it when second in 2m4f good-ground Down Royal contest on handicap bow. That was more than 500 days ago however, so perhaps best watched for now (rated 2lb higher here).

Form: 0000/2-

Mystic Embarr³¹⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 9-10| J: M A Enright| T: E Cawley| OR: 86

14/1

Career-best when winning 14-runner handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse over similar trip on testing going back on New Year's Day. Off since, 5lb higher and starting out for new yard. Market will reveal plenty.

Form: 983751-

Olive D'Haguenet^t²¹

Age: 6| Weight: 9-10| J: A W Short⁽³⁾| T: I Madden| OR: 86

25/1

Seven-race maiden hurdler. Yet to make the frame in the sequence but produced the best of her efforts over this C&D in September. More required.

Form: 075680

Boris Boru^h⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 9-10| J: C D Maxwell| T: Mrs S Dawson| OR: 86

25/1

16-race maiden, recently returned from almost two years on the sidelines. Shaped with more purpose at Down Royal (3m, good) last week, though runs from 5lb out of the handicap in attempt to build on that.

Form: 9235/07

Non-Runners

Seskinane¹⁴

Weight: 11-12| Age: 12

T: B McMahon J: Mr E Mahon

King's War⁷

Weight: 11-3| Age: 9

T: P Mooney J: M F Mooney

Ballinlina Boy³⁰

Weight: 10-10| Age: 5

T: R K Watson J: A Ring

Officers Mess²⁶

Weight: 10-9| Age: 5

T: C O'Dwyer J: Ricky Doyle

Slicker City⁷⁶

Weight: 10-5| Age: 7

T: T Gibney J: J M Moore

Forecasts

Stacks Mountain (7/1), Lord In Red (7/1), Serious Ego (7/1), Waaheb (8/1), Epsilon Indi (8/1), Market's Field (9/1), Oh'herewego (10/1), Nerual (14/1), Mystic Embarr (14/1), William Tyndale (14/1), Lake Takapuna (16/1), Aasleagh Dawn (20/1), Chapter Two (20/1), Whitber's Choice (20/1), Olive D'Haguenet (25/1), Ballinlina Boy (25/1), King's War (25/1), Boris Boru (25/1), Slicker City (25/1), Seskinane (25/1), Officers Mess (25/1), Captainofthefleet (40/1), Pi Ahio (50/1), Steamboat Bill (66/1)

A tough start for punters, with plenty of questions to be answered. It could be safest to stick with the form horse in OH'HEREWEGO. He'd won three from four prior to unseating early at Galway and isn't certain to have reached a ceiling just yet. There are all sorts of dangers lurking. Stacks Mountain and Serious Ego are both low-mileage and coming in off pleasing efforts with improvement likely. Mystic Embarr and William Tyndale both ran well but have absences to overcome now while Epsilon Indi, Market's Field and Lake Takapuna join former C&D scorer Seskinane in commanding respect in a wide open heat.