13:45 Navan

Saturday 29 February 2020

All13:4514:1814:5315:2816:0316:3817:13

Shamrock Festival Racing 14th March Maiden Hurdle

4YO only | 2m | 13 Runners | Turf

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: C P McNamara⁽⁵⁾| T: E McNamara| C

Soft ground winner here on the Flat over 1m2f; tailed off when pulled up on hurdling debut at Limerick in December; difficult to assess based on that run and best watched.

Form: P

But I Like It^t⁴⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Simon Torrens⁽⁷⁾| T: F Birrane

Poor but generally consistent on the Flat; is closely related to some decent winners over hurdles so difficult to dismiss readily.

Form:

Djasek¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Phillip Enright| T: A J Martin

Gelding by Rip Van Winkle out of an Invincible Spirit mare; closely related to six-race maiden over jumps; showed some ability on hurdles debut at Gowran Park earlier this month and quick reappearance is a positive.

Form: 7

Dungans Well

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Donagh Meyler| T: E Doyle

Cost 30,000 euros as a three-year-old; related to plenty of decent hurdling and chasing types; strong market moves should be noted.

Form:

Galet D'Oudairies³⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: D A Jacob| T: G Elliott

Gelding by Racinger out of a French bred mare; couple of decent efforts on the Flat in France last year; not disgraced on hurdles debut at Fairyhouse in January; entitled to improve and likely to be popular in the betting market.

Form: 25

Hurricane Cliff²⁵⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead

Son of Canford Cliffs cost €26,000 as a yearling; only very lightly-raced on the Flat but showed some ability on final start last June; interesting recruit to hurdling and one to note.

Form:

Leading Line³⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: A W Short⁽³⁾| T: P J Rothwell

Cost 10,000 euros as a two-year-old; last of nine on only appearance on the racecourse in a bumper at Gowran Park in January; hard to get excited about his hurdles debut on that form.

Form: 9

Metal Man¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: D N Russell| T: G Elliott

Modest form at up to 1m6f in four starts on Flat for Mick Halford.; not disgraced in four starts so far over hurdles but needs to step it up sooner rather than later.

Form: U058

New Ross

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: J J Slevin| T: J P O'Brien

Cost 18,000 euros as a three-year-old; related to plenty of useful National Hunt types including the consistent The Fresh Prince; it will be interesting what the market thinks on his debut.

Form:

Pictures Of Home

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: L P Dempsey| T: T M Walsh

Cost 24,000 euros as a three-year-old; related to a respectable bunch of hurdler/chasers most notably Blu Cavalier; respected on debut.

Form:

Wildewood^p1,t¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: I J Power| T: P Breen

Below-par 69-rated Flat handicapper for trainer Johnny Murtagh; never a factor on all three hurdles starts to date and hard to see where any improvement will come from.

Form: 00

Annie Pender^h¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: D F O'Regan| T: J Queally

Not disgraced in a couple of initial starts over hurdles at Punchestown and finished third of 17 beaten over 14L in a Naas maiden over two miles on penultimate start; needs to bounce back from below par run last time to get involved.

Form: 53P

Dragon's Pass⁶⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: B Browne⁽⁵⁾| T: Mrs D Foster| OR: 95

Best effort over hurdles was when 18¾L seventh of 16 in a juvenile maiden at Gowran Park on debut; has failed to build on that in two runs since and something to prove at present.

Form: 700

Forecasts

Galet D'Oudairies (5/2), Hurricane Cliff (4/1), New Ross (9/2), Annie Pender (5/1), Pictures Of Home (14/1), Dungans Well (14/1), Metal Man (14/1), Djasek (16/1), Bear Claws (16/1), But I Like It (25/1), Leading Line (33/1), Dragon's Pass (33/1), Wildewood (50/1)

GALET D'OUDAIRIES is the selection based on his gentle introduction to hurdles at Fairyhouse in January when he finished a respectable 5th of 15: If able to improve on that then he holds every chance in a contest devoid of many obvious winners. Pictures Of Home may be the best of the newcomers. The gelding is related to plenty of winners over hurdles and any market moves for Ted Walsh's horse would be significant while another debutante New Ross is also worth a survey in the betting ring.