18:45 Cork

Friday 24 July 2020

All16:0516:4017:1517:4518:1518:4519:1519:45

Churchfield Handicap Hurdle (80-95) (Div 2)

Off time: 18:45 | Winning time: 5m 17.40s

Rippon Lodge⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-11| J: Danny Mullins| T: J P Ryan| OR: 92

33/1

Hints of ability in a number of career starts over hurdles since debut in November 2018; well beaten recently over 2m2f at Downpatrick and needs to take a big step forward to get competitive even at this level.

Form: 6349-P9

Naturally Blond^t⁶

Age: 10| Weight: 11-8| J: Mr M C O'Donovan⁽⁷⁾| T: Patrick Cronin| OR: 89

13/2

Now racing 3lb lower than last winning mark; has ability and showed his well being with useful placed efforts at Tipperary and Tramore earlier this month; only failed to get up last time out and one for the shortlist over this slightly shorter trip.

Form: 67PU-32

Otzi²²¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: C J Orr⁽⁵⁾| T: A J McNamara| OR: 88

33/1

Not a bad effort on debut in a Listowel bumper in 2018, but 100-1 and well beaten in all three maiden hurdles and impossible to fancy on that evidence on his handicap debut.

Form: 9/000-

Lopito^t²⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Sean Flanagan| T: C A McBratney| OR: 86

33/1

Best effort in novice company at Perth last summer had some merit about it; race-fit after recent spins on the Flat ahead of this handicap hurdle bow.

Form: 9P57-

Miss Echrad^t²⁷⁸

Age: 7| Weight: 11-5| J: C P McNamara⁽⁵⁾| T: E McNamara| OR: 86

16/1

Runner-up off a similar mark in a handicap hurdle at Limerick but that was back in 2018 and remains a career-best effort; some signs of promise when last seen at Cork in October 2019; not easy to recommend after long absence.

Form: 684/885-

Quarry Lil¹²²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: P O'Flynn| OR: 86

18/1

Winner of one of her seven starts over timber landing a 2m4f handicap off a 1lb lower mark last September; subsequent form was patchy at best and needs to bounce back on seasonal reappearance.

Form: 316070-

My Lovely Boy²³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-3| J: Sean O'Keeffe⁽⁵⁾| T: T P O'Connor| OR: 84

6/1

Took a long while to get the hang of things over hurdles but he started to see the light at Punchestown in February before a much better effort behind Pilbara at Tipperary; obviously going in the right direction and certainly one to consider.

Form: 4U9F4-2

Wildewood^p,t⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-3| J: Phillip Enright| T: P Breen| OR: 91

100/1

Modest Flat handicapper for Johnny Murtagh who has shown little to nothing in four starts over hurdles including on handicap debut last time out at Downpatrick; hard to see where the improvement will come from.

Form: 005-0

Mollyella²⁸¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: M J Bolger| T: S Byrne| OR: 83

40/1

Without a win in seven starts and the daughter of Mahler has failed to complete three of her last four career starts over hurdles; would be a surprising winner.

Form: 80F0F/P-

Winsor Vixen²⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 11-0| J: Mr J P Kirwan⁽⁷⁾| T: D Queally| OR: 81| D

7/1

Career best effort on stable debut in a Kilbeggan 2m4f handicap hurdle at the end of June; has a better chance than most based on that recent run despite slight rise in the weights.

Form: 75PPP-3

Call His Bluff²⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 10-13| J: M Hamill⁽³⁾| T: N P Hennessy| OR: 80

66/1

A record of one placed effort from 11 career starts over hurdles does not inspire much confidence and finished last but one in a 15 runner handicap at Kilbeggan at the end of June; needs some help from the handicapper.

Form: 71FP/8-0

Fly Round The Bend^t¹⁴²

Age: 9| Weight: 10-13| J: A McCurtin⁽⁵⁾| T: J J Walsh| OR: 80| C

33/1

28-race maiden over hurdles; has shown some ability on occasions but latest run in march was worrying when beaten 73L albeit in desperate underfoot conditions; others preferred though goes well fresh and has fair place claims.

Form: 554959-

Seaboard⁷⁴⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 10-13| J: D J Mullins| T: E Mullins| OR: 80

8/13

15-race maiden and well beaten on his last two racecourse appearances; drifting down the weights but on balance others hold stronger profiles.

Form: P05049/

Non-Runners

Oromo¹⁴

Weight: 12-0| Age: 7

T: K Thornton J: Rachael Blackmore

Fleurys Fort⁶

Weight: 11-11| Age: 10

T: L Young J: R P Treacy

Woodbrook Boy¹⁷

Weight: 12-0| Age: 6

T: J J Hanlon J: Reserve 1

Baby Bellini⁹

Weight: 10-13| Age: 9

T: I Madden J: Reserve 2

I'm Serious¹⁴²

Weight: 11-10| Age: 7

T: Mrs G O'Connor J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Seaboard (8/13), My Lovely Boy (6/1), Naturally Blond (13/2), Fleurys Fort (13/2), Winsor Vixen (7/1), Woodbrook Boy (8/1), Oromo (8/1), I'm Serious (16/1), Miss Echrad (16/1), Quarry Lil (18/1), Baby Bellini (25/1), Rippon Lodge (33/1), Fly Round The Bend (33/1), Otzi (33/1), Lopito (33/1), Mollyella (40/1), Call His Bluff (66/1), Wildewood (100/1)

It is possible that NATURALLY BLOND may have to put up 2lb overweight but even so, the ten-year-old looks to have an excellent chance of going one better than when narrowly failing to beat a well handicapped rival at Tramore last Saturday. This is a slightly shorter trip and is expected to suit even better. His chances may be flagged up by the performances of Deauville Society and Galuppi in the previous race. You always take a bit of a chance backing Fleurys Fort these days, however, the ten-year-old has produced some better runs of late suggesting he could be ready to get back to winning ways. My Lovely Boy has improved leaps and bounds of late and has chances.