14:15 Gowran Park

Saturday 7 March 2020

All14:1514:5015:2516:0016:3517:1017:40

MansionBet 'GetItReady' For Cheltenham Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 14:15 | Winning time: 4m 20.50s

Future Proof^b⁵³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: E Walsh⁽⁷⁾| T: N Meade| OR: 124

8/13

Flat winner for Ger Lyons in 2018 but has been the bridesmaid on too many occasions for supporters; probably deserves to win a contest before long and given the weakness of rivals this could be his day.

Form: 2-43P02

Pani Problem⁹⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Donagh Meyler| T: A L T Moore

20/1

Fell on point-to-point debut before being well beaten next time last December; starts with a clean slate on debut under Rules but difficult to flag up as a likely winner.

Form: F6

Pistol Smoke⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: J S McGarvey| T: S Doyle

100/1

€25,000 Califet gelding; half-brother to fair hurdler Shaky Gift; well held and never a factor on debut in a Thurles bumper and tailed off on only hurdles start late last month.

Form: 00

Cosa Ban¹⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: L P Dempsey| T: J P Dempsey

10/1

No show on hurdles debut at Fairyhouse in January and similar story on latest start in bumper at Thurles; open to improvement but more evidence of ability needed to recommend.

Form: P07

Fairytale Empress

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: B Browne⁽⁵⁾| T: P Byrne

66/1

Related to some minor National Hunt winners over hurdles and in bumpers; hard to assess on debut where only real clues will come from the betting market.

Form:

Milestone Girl

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Gavin Brouder⁽⁷⁾| T: M McCullagh

66/1

Second foal; half-sister to 3m hurdle winner Milestone Prince; trainer familiar with family but unlikely type to win on racecourse debut.

Form:

Sienna Rose

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: P E Corbett| T: A Mullins

25/1

Daughter of Oscar; dam useful 2m-2m4f hurdle winner who was a sister to 2m hurdle winner Free Stone Hill; trainer still gets the odd winner from dwindling runners so no harm checking stable confidence in market.

Form:

Trouble And Strife¹⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: R P Treacy⁽³⁾| T: E Doyle

33/1

Three-time winner on the Flat, most recently from a mark of 76 at Catterick in September 2018; finished 18th of 22 on hurdles debut last month at Punchestown and looks unlikely winner on that form.

Form: 0

Do No Wrong^t1²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: M P Fogarty| T: A McNamara

50/1

Pulled up on only point-to-point run last month; difficult to know what to make of him on that evidence and probably best watched on hurdles debut.

Form: P

Michael Hennery¹³¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Kevin Sexton| T: W M Roper

25/1

Flat-bred; only raced three times on the level and despite improving for each run may not be up to getting involved on hurdles debut unless market is singing his praises.

Form:

Pictures Of Home

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

8/1

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:

Royal Rhythm

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell

66/1

First foal whose dam was unplaced in bumpers and maiden hurdles; related to some National Hunt winners but this looks a tall order on debut.

Form:

Ventnor²¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: C D Timmons⁽³⁾| T: A J Martin

20/1

Morpheus gelding, cost €5,000 as a yearling; has not shown enough on either of his two hurdle starts to date to be given real consideration.

Form: 06

Womalko³⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Phillip Enright| T: R Tyner

4/1

Not beaten far on debut in a point-to-point contest in February; can improve on that effort and given the paucity of talent in the field, may be worth considering.

Form: 2

Forecasts

Future Proof (8/13), Womalko (4/1), Pictures Of Home (8/1), Cosa Ban (10/1), Pani Problem (20/1), Ventnor (20/1), Michael Hennery (25/1), Sienna Rose (25/1), Trouble And Strife (33/1), Do No Wrong (50/1), Royal Rhythm (66/1), Fairytale Empress (66/1), Milestone Girl (66/1), Pistol Smoke (100/1)

Expect FUTURE PROOF to be very skimpy odds come post time and although he is head and shoulders above anything else on form he is far from a shoe-in and caution is advised around his price. Still, he certainly deserves a win for his long string of placed efforts but that wait for an elusive win is worrying. Best of the unraced contestants could be Pictures Of Home who is nicely bred and is related to the useful hurdler/chaser Blu Cavalier. Womalko made a fair debut in a point-to-point contest in February and if translating that to hurdles, he may run a fair race.