15:30 Naas

Sunday 28 February 2021

All14:0014:3015:0015:3016:0016:3017:0017:30

Paddy Power Road To Cheltenham Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 15:30 | Winning time: 3m 52.1s

Zoffanien¹⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: H Morgan⁽⁵⁾| T: D Hogan| OR: 119

6/4

Lightly-raced maiden. 11/4 and cheekpieces on for 1st time in this code, good second of 5 in juvenile hurdle at this course (15.6f, soft) 15 days ago, outbattled. Makes handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 36332

Awkwafina⁴³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-1| J: Phillip Enright| T: S Curling| OR: 113

13/2

Fair maiden on the Flat. Twice-raced winner over hurdles. Fourth of 8 in juvenile hurdle (25/1) at Fairyhouse (16f, heavy) 43 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 14

Perry Owens^b⁴⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-1| J: Sean Flanagan| T: N Meade| OR: 113

8/1

Winner of juvenile hurdle at Galway in October. Twelfth of 16 in handicap hurdle (5/1) at this course (19f, heavy) 46 days ago, shaping like a non-stayer. Ease back in trip an obvious plus.

Form: 3130

Varna Gold²¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-1| J: J G Gilligan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Gilligan| OR: 113

28/1

Winner in hurdle at Killarney in October. Tailed-off last of 6 to Quilixios in Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown (16f, soft, 250/1) 21 days ago. Switch to handicaps entitled to suit better.

Form: 72F126

Toughari²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: T Mullins| OR: 112

5/1

Lightly-raced maiden over hurdles. Creditable sixth of 18 in juvenile hurdle at this course (15.7f, heavy, 14/1) 28 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 75426

Merry Poppins⁴³

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: D Robinson⁽³⁾| T: J Motherway| OR: 111

12/1

Landed a juvenile maiden on hurdles debut at Tipperary (2m) in August. Only sixth of 8 in juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse (2m) 43 days ago. Another who will benefit from the switch to a handicap.

Form: 16

Rock Chica¹⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 10-9| J: Jack Brendan Foley⁽⁷⁾| T: T Mullins| OR: 107

20/1

Winner in hurdle at Tipperary in October. Respectable ninth of 15 in handicap hurdle at this course (15.6f, soft, 11/1) 15 days ago, unable to sustain effort. More needed to defy this sort of mark.

Form: 416489

Willywampus²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 10-8| J: Cian Quirke⁽⁷⁾| T: D Commins| OR: 106

16/1

Lightly-raced maiden. 125/1, stepped up on previous efforts when seventh of 18 in juvenile hurdle at this course (15.7f, heavy) 28 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 8F77

Saeer²⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 10-6| J: Jordan Gainford⁽⁷⁾| T: G Elliott| OR: 104

6/1

Fair maiden on the Flat. Low-key start in juvenile maiden hurdles this winter but he's in excellent hands and expected to do better now sights are set on handicaps.

Form: 500

Non-Runners

Peckham Springs⁷⁸

Weight: 11-3| Age: 4

T: P Stafford J: A W Short

Forecasts

Zoffanien (6/4), Peckham Springs (3/1), Toughari (5/1), Saeer (6/1), Awkwafina (13/2), Perry Owens (8/1), Merry Poppins (12/1), Willywampus (16/1), Rock Chica (20/1), Varna Gold (28/1)

A fairly useful maiden on the Flat (at around 1¼m), PECKHAM SPRINGS showed the benefit of his hurdling debut effort when getting off the mark over 2m at Fairyhouse in December. There's room for improvement in his jumping and he promises to do better again now his sights are set on handicaps. Perry Owens, down in trip, and Zoffanien are a couple of others to consider.