14:30 Leopardstown

Sunday 1 March 2020

All14:0014:3015:0515:3516:1016:4017:10

Donohoe Marquees Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 14:35 | Winning time: 4m 42.20s

Alighted²⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: O R Brown⁽⁷⁾| T: J P O'Brien| C

20/1

Leopardstown bumper winner 2017 Christmas Festival, went close on hurdles bow 11 months later but then missed another year and has misfired in both starts since returning and plenty to prove now.

Form: 1/2-P9

Attitash¹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Brian Hayes| T: S J Treacy

100/1

Gelding by Mahler out of a Phardante mare, should be suited by this trip in time but 66-1 and beaten a long way from home on debut at Punchestown recently; hard to see leading role.

Form: 0

Demophon⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: C D Maxwell| T: G P Cromwell

100/1

0-30 on the Flat and has twice gone off 100-1 in maiden hurdles at Naas this month already; highly unlikely this extra yardage brings a dramatic change in fortune.

Form: P-00

Dinny Lacey⁷⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: J Motherway| BF

7/1

Punchestown bumper winner last season and made excellent start over timber when third at Navan (2m4f, soft; 28-1) in November; failed to justify favouritism back there next time (fourth) but early days. May want better ground.

Form: 316-34

Fakiera²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: D N Russell| T: G Elliott

7/4

Promise in both bumpers and chased home potentially smart Entoucas in big-field Naas maiden hurdle this month on jumps bow; entitled to be on any shortlist.

Form: 4-42

Gendarme^p1²⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Simon Torrens⁽⁷⁾| T: P Neville

100/1

75-rated on the Flat and 3-25 in that sphere; 100-1 chance on hurdles bow at Thurles this month and never threatened to get involved.

Form: 0

Go Fox²⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Gary Noonan⁽⁷⁾| T: P Neville

66/1

Fair handicapper on the Flat, showed some level of promise on hurdles bow at Thurles this month despite leaving plenty of room for improvement in the jumping department.

Form: 7

Guanabara Bay¹²⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: A W Short⁽³⁾| T: P Stafford

100/1

Poor strike-rate on Flat (turf) at 2-41; running poorly at Galway in October on debut for this yard. May be best left to it on hurdles bow back from a break unless market vibes say otherwise.

Form:

Ilikehim¹³⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: J B Kane⁽⁵⁾| T: W Durkan

100/1

Sole outing over hurdles offered little back in December 2017 and this modest performer hasn't manged to put his head in front on the level since; others preferred.

Form: 8/

Jack Hackett¹⁷⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: P E Corbett| T: Mrs D A Love

40/1

Winner of a 2m3f Cork bumper last spring; not disgraced over timber at Kilbeggan in the autumn but requires a step forward to improve on modest fourth-place finishes at that track now back from a break.

Form: 11-4444

Jessica's Boy⁷⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: E Walsh⁽⁷⁾| T: N Meade

66/1

Gelding by Court Cave out of a Rajpoute mare. Bad mistake cost all chance last time out at Navan (50-1) in December and probably can do better in time.

Form: 69

Jon Snow³⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| BF

6/4

French Flat winner in 2018; back from a long absence to make frame all three starts in maiden hurdles this season, including here over 2m4½f at Christmas. Proving sort on the pocket but chance is there for top connections.

Form: 332

Joshua Webb¹⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: D F O'Regan| T: N Meade

11/1

Navan bumper winner in November has gone close in a maiden hurdle at that track since but jumping a concern having unseated (when second favourite) back there a fortnight ago.

Form: 8-1924U

Red Striker²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: B J Cooper| T: A McNamara

66/1

77-rated handicapper on the Flat for trainer Ger Lyons, plenty to find with Fakiera based on hurdles introduction at Naas early in the month.

Form: 0

Shackleton Island¹⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: J G Gilligan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Gilligan

100/1

Pulled up both starts in point-to-points and tailed off 100-1 chance on recent rules bow at Naas. Hard to see prominent role.

Form: P-P0

Shanroe^t⁴⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Donagh Meyler| T: K Thornton

20/1

Won three bumpers on the trot last year and duly odds-on for hurdles at Catterick in November when brought down; set a pair of tough assignments since and no surprise if taking a hand in the finish now.

Form: 1-11B76

Whirling Dervish¹⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: J M Moore| T: G P Cromwell

50/1

100-rated at best on the Flat but hasn't appeared to take to hurdling in two runs; early days yet but watching brief safest.

Form: 09

Darrens Diamond¹⁸⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-5| J: M P Fogarty| T: R Murphy

100/1

Seven-race maiden over timber, failing to build on 50-1 second in a 2m3f Cork maiden last spring; drawing board back from a layoff.

Form: 0595P8

Roseys Hollow^t1³⁴⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Mark Walsh| T: Jonathan Sweeney

12/1

Winner of a mares bumper at Cork on debut 346 days ago; that form has proved weak enough and she'll likely have to progress now going over jumps to be in the frame.

Form: 1-

Some Can Sing⁶³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: D E Mullins| T: D M Christie

66/1

Not devoid of ability in bumpers and bettered those efforts on his hurdles debut at Navan (2m4f, soft) and ran with credit last time at Limerick; needs to improve again to mix it with some of these (First Reserve).

Form: 4479

Non-Runners

Valentina Lady⁶⁵

Weight: 11-5| Age: 6

T: P Nolan J: Sean O'Keeffe

Kargs Post¹⁴

Weight: 11-12| Age: 7

T: S Nolan J: Reserve 2

Exultation⁶⁶

Weight: 11-12| Age: 6

T: Mrs J Harrington J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Jon Snow (6/4), Fakiera (7/4), Dinny Lacey (7/1), Joshua Webb (11/1), Roseys Hollow (12/1), Valentina Lady (12/1), Shanroe (20/1), Alighted (20/1), Exultation (33/1), Jack Hackett (40/1), Whirling Dervish (50/1), Some Can Sing (66/1), Go Fox (66/1), Red Striker (66/1), Jessica's Boy (66/1), Kargs Post (66/1), Demophon (100/1), Ilikehim (100/1), Darrens Diamond (100/1), Gendarme (100/1), Shackleton Island (100/1), Attitash (100/1), Guanabara Bay (100/1)

No shortage of promise from Jon Snow in his three hurdles starts but he's proving sore on punters and will likely be short enough again for this event. No shock to see him open his account soon but this isn't straightforward. FAKIERA's second at Naas last month was just as promising as anything achieved by the Mullins runner and with more to come, Davy Russell's mount edges the verdict. Valentina Lady shaped with lots of promise on heavy ground at Limerick over Christmas and should prove capable of winning before long and she joins Dinny Lacey in promising to better when things dry out.