18:45 Tramore

Saturday 25 July 2020

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

Kilmeaden Handicap Hurdle (80-95)

Off time: 18:45 | Winning time: 4m 1.01s

Caddy Shack²⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Mr J P Berry⁽⁷⁾| T: J A Berry| OR: 95

11/1

Off the mark for connections at the 13th time of asking at Wexford off a 10lb lower mark in October; not the most consistent but will appreciate this step back in trip; might need some help from the handicapper.

Form: 33143-0

Maria Francesca²¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G Elliott| OR: 93

13/2

Six-race maiden yet to hit the frame on any occasion; fair effort in first-time hood at Tipperary for new connections but below par last time at Bellewstown; remains quite frustrating but open to improvement.

Form: 5054-68

Yug¹²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-11| J: Gavin Brouder⁽⁷⁾| T: J Nash| OR: 92

11/2

Returned from long absence to run a fair race at Fairyhouse on the Flat in June but failed to follow that up five days later at Killarney; hurdles form from 2018 was fairly uninspiring.

Form: 95P5/

Boro Melody^t²⁹⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 11-8| J: Mr J C Barry⁽⁵⁾| T: V Halley| OR: 89

13/2

Six-race maiden posted a career best effort finishing fourth of 13 beaten 3L in at Wexford over 2m4f on good ground in September on handicap debut.

Form: U79946-

Nodoubtaboutthat¹⁴⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: E O'Connell⁽⁵⁾| T: S Crawley| OR: 88

11/1

Daughter of Oscar out of a Glacial Storm mare. Dam, point-to-point winner; has failed to shine on three racecourse appearances but may do better in handicaps.

Form: 000-

Shedding²²⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: W J Burke| OR: 88

10/1

Returns to hurdling after a fairly disastrous spell over fences towards the end of last year; won his maiden hurdle around this time of year last season but failed to get too competitive afterwards; plenty to prove.

Form: 3400FP-

Gone Racing²⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Phillip Enright| T: M M McNiff| OR: 86

3/1

Easily her best effort when beaten 8¼L in finishing fourth of 14 at Kilbeggan (2m, good; 33-1) late last month; making up ground late on; could get involved in the finish here if building on that run.

Form: 79889-4

Rockview Emperor¹⁷

Age: 10| Weight: 11-5| J: R P Treacy⁽³⁾| T: N Dooly| OR: 86| C

40/1

Lightly raced over hurdles with the gelding yet to hit the frame in ten starts over timber; well beaten on recent run at Bellewstown.

Form: P770/P-9

Aunt Eileen²⁶

Age: 8| Weight: 11-4| J: T N Brett⁽⁷⁾| T: J P Ryan| OR: 85| D

12/1

Did win a race at Sligo in 2016 but has had problems since and has only raced seven more times and showed very little in either hurdles or chases; slight improvement when last seen at Kilbeggan last month so no forlorn hope.

Form: 06FF0/7

Oldcastle⁷⁸²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: Danny Mullins| T: J P Ryan| OR: 83

20/1

Returns after a break of over two years; form before then was nothing special including in two races in handicaps; very difficult to recommend.

Form: 769960/

U S Navy Seal⁴⁴⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 11-0| J: Kevin Sexton| T: J R Finn| OR: 81

66/1

Another who rarely makes a racecourse appearance; this will be his second start in two years and his last run in January 2019 saw him finish last of 13 on the AW at Dundalk; yet to place in seven starts over hurdles.

Form: 000PP0/

Gotta Getaway^t,v1⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 10-13| J: P E Corbett| T: S Nolan| OR: 80

16/1

Mare remains a maiden but she offered something to work with via improved showing on handicap bow here (2m5f, yielding; 50-1) on return from a break last week; may have more to come in first-time visor.

Form: P9090-7

Gragara Tara²⁴⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 10-13| J: J S McGarvey| T: P Meany| OR: 80

33/1

Six-race maiden, struggling overall and well held in a number of starts last season; first-time blinkers failed to spark him into life when last seen at Fairyhouse in November when pulled up.

Form: 70800P-

Non-Runners

Headline Joe³¹

Weight: 11-4| Age: 5

T: P G Fahey J: Reserve 1

Faerie Laws³¹

Weight: 11-5| Age: 4

T: P G Fahey J: Reserve 2

Ellaat¹⁰

Weight: 11-1| Age: 4

T: N C Kelly J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Gone Racing (3/1), Yug (11/2), Maria Francesca (13/2), Boro Melody (13/2), Shedding (10/1), Caddy Shack (11/1), Nodoubtaboutthat (11/1), Aunt Eileen (12/1), Gotta Getaway (16/1), Headline Joe (16/1), Faerie Laws (16/1), Ellaat (16/1), Oldcastle (20/1), Gragara Tara (33/1), Rockview Emperor (40/1), U S Navy Seal (66/1)

Difficult to be confident about any of this contestants and it may to side with MARIA FRANCESA who has plenty of experience over hurdles and shown in her last two appearances at Tipperary and Bellewstown that she is capable of winning a race and should appreciate this step back in trip. Gone Racing ran well enough on his handicap debut at Kilbeggan last month to suggest there is a race to be won with him and he is open to improvement. Caddy Shack is not the most consistent or well handicapped mare but given the level of opposition she is hard to write off.