13:15 Down Royal

Thursday 4 February 2021

All13:1513:5014:2515:0015:3516:0516:35

Molson Coors Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 13:15 | Winning time: 4m 32.1s

Hallowed Star⁴⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: J S McGarvey| T: J J Hanlon

12/1

Bumper winner. Off 5 months, should build on his hurdle debut fifth at Leopardstown over Christmas. On the shortlist.

Form: 53-125

Match My Fire²³

Age: 8| Weight: 12-0| J: I J Power| T: N Slevin

200/1

Modest Flat winner. 200/1, ninth of 13 in novice hurdle at Fairyhouse (20f, heavy) on NH debut 23 days ago.

Form: 9

Fields Of Dreams²³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G Elliott

100/1

Fairly useful Flat winner but well held both completed starts over hurdles. Others preferred again.

Form: F00

Kinnegad Lad⁵⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: J J Slevin| T: S R B Crawford

28/1

Won a Musselburgh bumper in December but the form doesn't look anything special. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: 51

Decimation^t1⁴⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead| OR: 128

1/3

Thrice-raced maiden. 9/2, second of 20 in novice hurdle at Leopardstown (16f, good to soft) 40 days ago. Tongue strap on 1st time. Obvious claims.

Form: 222

Fire Squadron

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott

18/1

Fame And Glory half-brother to 4 winners, including smart hurdler/chaser Colour Squadron and useful hurdler/smart chaser Milan Native. Makes paper appeal for top yard.

Form:

Arctic Warrior^h1²²¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Mark Walsh| T: W P Mullins

10/3

Third of 13 in French Flat race last summer on sole start. Joined top stable for hurdle debut. Wears hood. Very interesting to see how he goes in the betting.

Form:

Dunboy Lad⁵³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: A W Short| T: N McKnight

200/1

Pulled up both point starts. Likely outsider.

Form: PP

Pepper'n Salt¹⁶⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: J M Moore| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 113

33/1

Lightly-raced maiden. 10/1, ninth of 10 in handicap hurdle at Sligo (20.8f, good) 169 days ago. Others preferred on return to action.

Form: 27-69

Shakespeare's Word⁷⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: P Roche

25/1

Runner-up 3 times and likely better than he showed when last of 9 on hurdle debut. Open to progress.

Form: 25-229

Tuckmill²³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: D F O'Regan| T: F J Flood

150/1

Promising type. Sixth of 16 in novice hurdle at Fairyhouse (16f, heavy, 150/1) on debut 23 days ago, not knocked about. Open to improvement.

Form: 6

Wild River Ridge²³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: D J McInerney| T: V Wilson

125/1

Once-raced maiden. 14/1, ninth of 16 in maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse (16f, heavy) on debut 23 days ago.

Form: 9

Bennystiara⁴⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 10-13| J: H Morgan⁽⁵⁾| T: H De Bromhead

66/1

80/1, eleventh of 20 in maiden hurdle at Leopardstown (16f, good to soft, 80/1) on debut 40 days ago, unable to sustain effort. Decimation looks very much stable first string.

Form: 0

Ask The Leader

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: C J Orr⁽³⁾| T: D M Christie

150/1

Ask mare. Closely related to 2 winners, and half-sister to bumper winner/fairly useful 2m hurdle winner An Caisteal Nuadh. Dam unraced. Best watched.

Form:

Greige^t⁵⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: B Browne⁽³⁾| T: Paul Traynor

200/1

Thrice-raced maiden under NH rules. Ninth of 12 in maiden hurdle (150/1) at Punchestown (20f, heavy) 58 days ago.

Form: 009

Monaghanarmaghlady^t³²

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: C D Maxwell| T: B R Hamilton

200/1

Down the field in 3 maiden hurdles this winter.

Form: 909

Samcro's Sister^t1³³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: D P Holden⁽⁷⁾| T: H De Bromhead

40/1

Pulled up in sole point but is a half-sister to the high-class Samcro and has joined a good stable ahead of this Rules debut. Wears a tongue strap. Betting should guide to expectations.

Form: P-

Runadrum³⁵²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Shane O'Callaghan⁽⁷⁾| T: R K Watson

200/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. 66/1, pulled up in novice hurdle at Punchestown (22f, heavy), labouring eighth. Off 11 months. Down in trip. RESERVE.

Form: P/808P-

Non-Runners

Jimli's Island³⁸

Weight: 11-5| Age: 5

T: R K Watson J: Brian Hayes

Whosgotyanow

Weight: 10-12| Age: 5

T: H De Bromhead J: Reserve 2

The Greek¹⁶⁹

Weight: 11-5| Age: 5

T: G Elliott J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Decimation (1/3), Arctic Warrior (10/3), Whosgotyanow (8/1), Hallowed Star (12/1), The Greek (16/1), Fire Squadron (18/1), Shakespeare's Word (25/1), Kinnegad Lad (28/1), Pepper'n Salt (33/1), Samcro's Sister (40/1), Bennystiara (66/1), Fields Of Dreams (100/1), Jimli's Island (100/1), Wild River Ridge (125/1), Tuckmill (150/1), Ask The Leader (150/1), Runadrum (200/1), Match My Fire (200/1), Monaghanarmaghlady (200/1), Greige (200/1), Dunboy Lad (200/1)

DECIMATION sets the bar high here and is fancied to open his account having been runner-up on all his three previous outings over hurdles. Bumper winner Hallowed Star shaped with promise behind the selection on his hurdle debut and is open to progress. French recruit Arctic Warrior would also enter the reckoning if the betting speaks in his favour on his hurdle debut for the Willie Mullins team.