15:00 Limerick

Sunday 11 October 2020

All13:0013:3014:0014:3015:0015:3016:0016:30

David Fitzgerald Memorial Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:01 | Winning time: 6m 18.30s

Clash Of D Titans^t1⁶⁵²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: C P McNamara⁽⁵⁾| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 122

18/1

12/1, career best when winning 13-runner handicap hurdle at Leopardstown (20f, good), keeping on well. Off 21 months. Tongue strap on 1st time. hard to know how much ability he retains.

Form: 266651/

Oscar Montel^p¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Sean O'Keeffe⁽³⁾| T: E McNamara| OR: 119| CD

15/2

C&D winner. Winner in hurdle here in July. 12/1 and cheekpieces on for 1st time, creditable 18½ lengths fifth of 12 to Balinaboola Steel in handicap hurdle at Listowel (24f, soft) 18 days ago.

Form: 53-1345

Tokyo Getaway²¹¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: C D Maxwell| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 118| D

10/1

Latest win in chase at Clonmel in February. Below form sixth of 10 in handicap chase at Navan (24f, heavy, 11/2). Off 7 months. Switches from chase to hurdles.

Form: 422116-

Balinaboola Steel^p¹⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 11-5| J: B J Cooper| T: J J Hanlon| OR: 117| D

15/2

3 wins from 8 runs this season. Career best when winning 12-runner handicap hurdle at Listowel (24f, soft, 17/2) 18 days ago, battling well. Likely to give another good account.

Form: 431351

Fit To Be Tied²³⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 11-4| J: N P Madden| T: N Madden| OR: 116| CD

16/1

Course winner. Below form tenth of 20 in handicap hurdle at Gowran (20f, heavy, 20/1). Off 7 months. Others make more appeal.

Form: 8/31750-

Halsafari³²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-4| J: Brian Hayes| T: M J Bowe| OR: 116| CD

12/1

Course winner. 18/1, tenth of 12 in handicap hurdle at Punchestown (23.4f, soft) 32 days ago. Could build on that reappearance, so not ruled out.

Form: F3255-0

Time For Mabel^p²⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-4| J: Paul Townend| T: E J O'Grady| OR: 116| C| D

50/1

Course winner. 25/1, last of 6 in handicap chase at Sligo (17.8f, good) 27 days ago. Switches from chase to hurdles. Significantly up in trip. Booking of Townend a plus.

Form: 897556

Agent Boru³²

Age: 9| Weight: 11-2| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: T Gibney| OR: 114| D

13/2

One win from 27 NH runs. Fourteen runs since last win in 2018. Sixth of 12 in handicap hurdle (12/1) at Punchestown (23.4f, soft) 32 days ago. Not ruled out.

Form: 4/0000-6

Young Dev¹⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: Donagh Meyler| T: D Hogan| OR: 112| CD

15/2

C&D winner. Sixth of 8 in handicap hurdle (10/1) at Listowel (20f, soft) 15 days ago. Others more persuasive.

Form: 11262-6

Ask Heather^p²⁰¹

Age: 8| Weight: 10-11| J: Simon Torrens⁽⁵⁾| T: T O'Brien| OR: 109| D

11/1

Career best when winning 12-runner handicap chase at Clonmel (23f, soft, 15/2), well ridden. Off 6 months. Switches from chase to hurdles. Enters calculations.

Form: 3F3351-

Fiveaftermidnight²²⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 10-10| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell| OR: 108

28/1

Latest win in chase at Naas in November. 9/2, fourth of 5 in handicap chase at Clonmel (20f, heavy). Off 7 months. Switches from chase to hurdles.

Form: 015204-

Miss Cedille^p,t³⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 10-9| J: Sean Flanagan| T: Miss E Doyle| OR: 107

8/1

Career best when winning 14-runner novice hurdle at Kilbeggan (19.8f, good to soft, 9/4) 30 days ago, running on. Up in trip. Makes handicap hurdle debut. Uphill task from stiff mark.

Form: 23/354-1

Classic Concorde¹⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-8| J: A W Short| T: A McNamara| OR: 106

25/1

One win from 25 NH runs. Thirteen runs since last win in 2019. 15/2, sixth of 10 in handicap chase at Listowel (24f, soft) 15 days ago. Switches from chase to hurdles.

Form: 508656

Drifting Back^t⁶²

Age: 6| Weight: 10-6| J: R P Treacy⁽³⁾| T: E McNamara| OR: 104

4/1

Didn't need to be at best when winning 10-runner novice hurdle at Ballinrobe (22.3f, good, 6/1) 62 days ago, suited by emphasis on stamina. Can make presence felt.

Form: 86357-1

Forecasts

Drifting Back (4/1), Agent Boru (13/2), Balinaboola Steel (15/2), Young Dev (15/2), Oscar Montel (15/2), Miss Cedille (8/1), Tokyo Getaway (10/1), Ask Heather (11/1), Halsafari (12/1), Fit To Be Tied (16/1), Clash Of D Titans (18/1), Classic Concorde (25/1), Fiveaftermidnight (28/1), Time For Mabel (50/1)

BALINABOOLA STEEL is in a rich vein of form and, in a race where most of the others have something to prove, he's taken to follow up his Listowel success following a small rise. Ask Heather would be a danger if she's ready to go on reappearance, while Drifting Back shouldn't be ruled out.