13:00 Gowran Park

Monday 20 July 2020

All13:0013:3014:0014:3015:0015:3016:0016:35

Connolly's Red Mills Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 13:00 | Winning time: 3m 41.8s

Bear Claws¹³⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: C P McNamara⁽⁵⁾| T: E McNamara

50/1

1m2f winner on the Flat at Navan (soft) in October before joining Eric McNamara, decent fifth at same venue (2m, heavy; 25-1) on second hurdles start in March; scope for better.

Form: P5-

Border Battle^t⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: F J Hayes⁽⁷⁾| T: S M Duffy

66/1

Flat maiden (rated 60) posted improved effort last month at Killarney (1m6f, yielding; 33-1) on return from an absence when 1½L fifth of 11. Tongue-strap on for jumping bow.

Form:

Final Orders¹²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: Danny Mullins| T: G Donnelly

40/1

Son of Camelot rated 68 on the Flat (maiden); distant fourth of eight on hurdles bow Bellewstown (2m½f, good; 33-1) on hurdles bow this month when keen and not so fluent.

Form: 4

Fox Fearless¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: O McKiernan

40/1

Useful maiden on the Flat in Britain/Ireland during nine runs (rated 68); improved on second hurdles run to be fifth of 13, beaten 6¼L, at Kilbeggan (2m4f, good; 33-1) and player if coming on again.

Form: 85

Isotope¹³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: J J Slevin| T: J P O'Brien

11/4

Took a handicap on the Flat off a mark of 79 at Roscommon (1m2f, heavy; 5-2f) this month when well-backed; poor on sole hurdles start at Galway last year but not a big surprise to see improved effort here. Contender.

Form: 8-

Lucky Number¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: B Browne⁽⁵⁾| T: O McKiernan

50/1

Second runner for the yard; 1m winner in Britain for William Haggas last summer but modest form in three starts on the level for this trainer (rated 73). Jumps bow; betting will reveal more.

Form:

Mistertommyshelby¹⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: J M Moore| T: P Griffin

200/1

Beaten out the gate in maiden hurdles at Down Royal and Bellewstown either side of lockdown; three-figure prices in both instances. Arduous task on that evidence.

Form: 0-0

Oak Park^p1¹⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: L P Dempsey| T: G Elliott| OR: 129| BF

7/2

0-6 over hurdles but has twice finished third in similar contests at Limerick and Bellewstown of late (fav both times); sets the standard on form but expensive to follow and may be vulnerable again.

Form: 3F5P-33

Pepperoni Pete^p,t⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: Sean O'Keeffe⁽⁵⁾| T: Mrs J Harrington

7/1

Fair yardstick on the Flat despite only one win in 17 starts for Ger Lyons and this trainer; has offered something to work with in two hurdles starts including fifth last month at Tipperary; can be in the shake-up.

Form: 58-5

Puddymore¹²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: A W Short⁽³⁾| T: P Stafford

150/1

Of limited ability on the Flat (0-10) and has already racked up a trio of wide-margin defeats since switched to this code. Lots of improvement to locate.

Form: 0-06

Royal Aide^t²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: Sean Flanagan| T: D Hogan| OR: 114

10/3

Galileo colt was a dual winner on the Flat at up to 1m4f (rated 85); improved on third hurdles start at Limerick (2m½f, good; 12-1) last month on return from 179 days off to be fifth; capable of better still.

Form: 95-5

Swelltime¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: D J Mullins| T: J G Murphy

9/4

25-1 runner-up on hurdles bow at Tipperary last month on similar ground and since beaten a nose in second on the Flat at the Curragh off a mark of 59; form of hurdles run is decent and shortlisted here.

Form: 2

Grinn²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: Phillip Enright| T: D M O'Brien

100/1

Maiden on the Flat with Jim Bolger and ran midfield (beaten 63L) on hurdles bow for this trainer at Tramore (2m5f, yielding; 25-1) on Saturday.

Form: 7

Lucrezia Borja¹³⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell

200/1

Cheaply bought as a three-year-old; is related to bumper and hurdles winners but hard to see her being good enough based on solo racecourse appearance at Navan in March when tailed off in heavy-ground 2m maiden hurdle (100-1).

Form: 0-

Millbow Quest

Age: 4| Weight: 11-9| J: H Morgan⁽⁷⁾| T: S J Treacy

200/1

Reserve; Millenary gelding whose dam was a lightly-raced maiden on the Flat. Best watched if getting a run.

Form:

Non-Runners

Saucy Yeats¹⁹

Weight: 11-2| Age: 4

T: H De Bromhead J: D P Holden

Zaccarela¹⁰

Weight: 11-9| Age: 4

T: P Fenton J: Reserve 2

Rathnaleen Glory

Weight: 11-2| Age: 4

T: P Byrne J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Swelltime (9/4), Isotope (11/4), Royal Aide (10/3), Oak Park (7/2), Saucy Yeats (7/1), Pepperoni Pete (7/1), Rathnaleen Glory (33/1), Fox Fearless (40/1), Final Orders (40/1), Bear Claws (50/1), Lucky Number (50/1), Zaccarela (50/1), Border Battle (66/1), Grinn (100/1), Puddymore (150/1), Lucrezia Borja (200/1), Mistertommyshelby (200/1), Millbow Quest (200/1)

Gordon Elliott's Oak Park sets the standard but he has already had plenty chances and could be vulnerable again having proved costly to follow. Isotope won on the Flat recently and is likely to be much more streetwise compared to last summer's Galway hurdles run; while Fox Fearless, Bear Claws and Saucy Yeats all have scope for a challenge. SWELL TIME did some good late work when second on hurdles bow at Tipperary last month (form franked since by winner) and has gone close since on the level; he's likely to go very close with David Mullins taking over here.