13:40 Fairyhouse

Saturday 14 December 2019

All12:3013:0513:4014:1514:5015:25

Irish Racing Yearbook Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 13:40 | Winning time: 6m 30.10s

Osmotic²¹⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott

12/1

Cost €60,000 as a three-year-old. Gelding by Fracas out of a Accordion mare. Impressive winner of a Roscommon bumper over 2m5f on good ground beating 9 rivals by 9L. Leading player.

Form: 4-1

Atlantic Shore¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Brian Hayes| T: P Fenton

13/2

Four-race maiden over hurdles. Third of 15 beaten over 17L on his latest start over 2m5½f on soft ground at Punchestown last month. Any market support could be significant.

Form: 21/4-643

Braeside⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G Elliott

8/1

Presenting gelding deserves a change in fortunes following a number of close calls in bumpers and a couple of hurdle spins at Clonmel recently. Positives outweigh the negatives in this contest and the Presenting gelding can give a good account.

Form: 2224-33

Coalbrook Bridge

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: M Hamill⁽³⁾| T: C Hamilton

66/1

Gelding by Bollin Eric out of a Simply Great mare. Closely related to four-time point-to-point winner Carrignagapple successful over the larger obstacles at 3m. Best watched on debut.

Form:

Monkfish³²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| BF

1/2

Point-to-point winner last year after which he was bought for £235,000. Has failed to justify favouritism on both starts under rules in a Punchestown bumper before finishing 7L adrift of Diol Ker in a Fairyhouse maiden hurdle over 2m4f last month.

Form: P/1-22

Time To Get Up^t²⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Mark Walsh| T: J P O'Brien

9/2

Son of Presenting made a more than promising start to finish second at Tipperary in a 20-runner 2m4f maiden back in July before finishing fourth of 12 on return to action at Punchestown over 2m6f last month. Capable of a bold bid.

Form: 2-4

Western Fancy

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: J M Moore| T: N Meade

40/1

Gelding by Presenting out of a Brian Boru mare. Dam, a winner over hurdles and fences racing between 2m and 2m4f. One to watch on debut unless market vibes have other ideas.

Form:

Union Gap²⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 11-3| J: Sean Flanagan| T: N Meade| OR: 116

25/1

13-race maiden, without success in seven starts over timber. Out of form in a couple of starts since September including on handicap debut at Navan last month and hard to make a case for.

Form: 422-300

Ballyshannon Rose^t1²³

Age: 6| Weight: 10-11| J: P D Kennedy| T: P G Fahey

66/1

Sent off at a big price on latest start at Thurles last month before running accordingly in the process and unlikely to be making a significant impact in this contest.

Form: 6655-P8

Non-Runners

Amerijano³⁷

Weight: 11-4| Age: 6

T: P Nolan J: Sean O'Keeffe

Moyode Gold¹⁵

Weight: 10-11| Age: 6

T: J Nash J: Gavin Brouder

Scarlet Leader

Weight: 10-11| Age: 8

T: Miss M M Gannon J: C P McNamara

Forecasts

Monkfish (1/2), Time To Get Up (9/2), Atlantic Shore (13/2), Braeside (8/1), Osmotic (12/1), Amerijano (16/1), Union Gap (25/1), Moyode Gold (25/1), Western Fancy (40/1), Scarlet Leader (50/1), Ballyshannon Rose (66/1), Coalbrook Bridge (66/1)

Trainer Willie Mullins appears to have found an ideal opportunity for MONKFISH to get off the mark at the third time of asking for connections following a couple of setbacks as beaten favourite since the Stowaway geldings debut in May. The lightly raced five-year-old can get the better of Osmotic who won a Roscommon bumper in facile fashion when last seen in May. The Gigginstown House Stud-owned six-year-old can emerge as the biggest danger ahead of stablemate Braeside and the Joseph O'Brien-trained Time To Get Up.