17:10 Fairyhouse

Saturday 23 February 2019

All13:4014:1514:5015:2516:0016:3517:10

Ian Smith Memorial (Pro/Am) Flat Race

Off time: 17:11 | Winning time: 3m 55.7s

Barrow Bounty

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Mr T Hamilton⁽⁵⁾| T: T Foley

20/1

Gelding by Gold Well out of a Bigstone mare. Yard without a winner from five starts with their bumpers this year and are just one from 61 in the last five seasons.

Form:

Lorca's Novena²⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Miss N Nolan⁽⁷⁾| T: J G Carr

100/1

Well beaten over 30L in each of his last four bumper starts since the summer including a heavy defeat at Naas last month. Hasn't shown enough to be of interest here.

Form: 490070

Stobak

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Mr F Maguire⁽³⁾| T: J P Cahill

10/1

Gelded son of Stowaway out of a Bob Back mare. Dam useful 2½m hurdle winner and well worth a market check given interesting pedigree on debut.

Form:

Time For An Oscar

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell

33/1

Gelding by Oscar out of a Good Thyne mare. Cost €10,500 as a three-year-old and best watched on debut unless market suggests otherwise.

Form:

Fury Road^t1⁵⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: Ms L O'Neill| T: G Elliott

2/5

Winner of a maiden point-to-point at Dromahane in taking fashion on second start back in May and purchased by top connections for princely fee of €305,000 on the back of that. Likely to improve on disappointing debut run and the one to beat.

Form: 415

Resurrected Duke

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: Mr Pat Taaffe⁽⁷⁾| T: T J Taaffe

5/1

Gelding by Westerner out of a Shernazar mare. Cost €65,000 as a three-year-old. Brother to decent hurdler Reilly's Minor and one to watch in the betting on debut.

Form:

Swifty Morgan²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: Miss S Doyle⁽⁷⁾| T: P M J Doyle

20/1

Interesting Flemensfirth gelding out of a Milan mare. Cost €38,000 as a three-year-old but well held on debut finishing seventh of nine beaten 25L in a Down Royal bumper last month. Plenty to find in this contest.

Form: 7

The Rubinator⁵⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: Mr H D Dunne⁽⁵⁾| T: P Croke

10/1

Well held in a couple of starts at Killarney and Leopardstown before Christmas and will need to raise overall profile to play a role here.

Form: 64

Ranger P¹⁸⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Mr L P Gilligan⁽⁷⁾| T: E Griffin

12/1

Not disgraced in a couple of bumper starts at Limerick and Tramore last summer and worth a market check on return to action following a six month break.

Form: 24

Forecasts

Fury Road (2/5), Resurrected Duke (5/1), The Rubinator (10/1), Stobak (10/1), Ranger P (12/1), Barrow Bounty (20/1), Swifty Morgan (20/1), Time For An Oscar (33/1), Lorca's Novena (100/1)

Trainer Gordon Elliott has won this race with Empire Burleque and Sometime Soon in the last couple of years and the stable can land the spoils in the closing race here with the Gigginstown House Stud-owned FURY ROAD who disappointed on debut when last seen in December but should have the measure of his opponents in this line up. Ranger P and Barrow Bounty can battle for the minor honours while Resurrected Duke is worthy of consideration on debut.