14:00 Cork

Sunday 17 November 2019

All12:1512:5013:2514:0014:3515:1015:40

Kevin McManus Bookmaker Handicap Hurdle (0-140)

Off time: 14:00 | Winning time: 5m 12.10s

Line Out²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: Phillip Enright| T: J E Kiely| OR: 131| C| D

11/2

Triple hurdle winner at 2m-2m4f on good or yielding. 5lb higher than his most recent win, and needs to pull out more to win from this mark than we have seen from him on his last two starts.

Form: 62-8134

Top Moon²²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-6| J: J J Slevin| T: J P O'Brien| OR: 131

3/1

Easy winner of a Kilbeggan maiden hurdle (2m, good to yielding) in August. Has improved in both starts in handicaps since then. Enough stamina in his pedigree to suggest that this step up in trip should be ideal and he should go close.

Form: 235-122

Allez Kal⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 11-2| J: Brian Hayes| T: J Barcoe| OR: 123| CD

10/1

Won this race last year, when 14lb lower. Scored again two starts later at Gowran, when 8lb lower than today, by 6L. Well held in three Flat starts and also on her return to hurdles last time, and now looking exposed.

Form: 57/141-5

Morosini³⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-1| J: N P Madden| T: Mrs J Harrington| OR: 126| BF

5/1

Won a 4yo hurdle at Ballinrobe in May (2m½f, good to yielding) and has bettered that in all three subsequent defeats. Not fully exposed, but more needed from this mark.

Form: 2-1235

Mr Smith^p²³

Age: 8| Weight: 10-9| J: A W Short⁽³⁾| T: C Byrnes| OR: 116| D

16/1

Ran up a cross-code hat-trick in the spring/summer months, his two hurdle wins being at around 3m, including on soft. Held on the Flat since then, and needs to bounce back now hurdling again, as a 16lb rise will ask plenty of questions.

Form: 0157/11

Fauguernon¹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 10-5| J: Donagh Meyler| T: N Meade| OR: 112

7/2

Improving for this trainer, and no disgrace being 23L adrift of the high-class Envoi Allen when last seen at Down Royal (2m½f, soft). Will probably get this trip (stays 1m4½f on the Flat). Looks to have been allotted a fair mark. Interesting.

Form: 55-4

Coral Blue^t²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 10-2| J: S A Shortall| T: S Fahey| OR: 113

28/1

Sole win was over 2m (soft) at Kilbeggan in April, when 10lb lower. Ran well next time, when 1¼L second from just 1lb lower than today. Has each-way claims in that sort of form, but still a bit to prove over today's trip.

Form: 5U3067

Owenacurra Lass²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 10-2| J: Sean O'Keeffe⁽⁵⁾| T: D Queally| OR: 109

5/1

Bumper winner on yielding to soft last year, and although 0-8 over hurdles, she has been placed three times. Not written off then, but still has it to prove both over this trip and from this sort of mark.

Form: 32-P442

Drifting Back^t³³

Age: 5| Weight: 9-11| J: C D Maxwell| T: E McNamara| OR: 104

22/1

Would have claims if able to reproduce his effort from last year's hurdles debut at Limerick (2m, soft), but way below that level since. Only of interest if the subject of significant support on his handicap debut.

Form: 3/47-88

Forecasts

Top Moon (3/1), Fauguernon (7/2), Morosini (5/1), Owenacurra Lass (5/1), Line Out (11/2), Allez Kal (10/1), Mr Smith (16/1), Drifting Back (22/1), Coral Blue (28/1)

This probably lies between Fauguernon, who is interesting on his handicap debut and should be thereabouts, and TOP MOON, for whom this trip looks likely to elicit improvement, and the latter is preferred this time. Morosini is another who could come into it, while Mr Smith has to be respected.