15:20 Navan

Saturday 13 March 2021

All13:4014:1014:4515:2015:5516:3017:0517:40

Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle

Off time: 15:20 | Winning time: 6m 23.30s

Red Gerry^b,t¹¹²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Sean Flanagan| T: N Meade| OR: 129

12/1

Fairly useful hurdler. 2 wins from 6 runs this season. 7/1, creditable third of 16 in handicap hurdle at Naas (20f, heavy) 112 days ago. Possibly vulnerable from a win point of view.

Form: 631313

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Velvet Elvis²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁵⁾| T: T Gibney| OR: 132

5/2

Lightly-raced winner under Rules. Career best when winning 8-runner novice hurdle at Thurles (20.2f, heavy, 8/1) 26 days ago, driven out. May well do better and he's a must for the shortlist.

Form: 1-40211

Ragnar Lodbrok^p⁵⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Jack Kennedy| T: Mrs D Foster| OR: 128

4/1

Fairly useful hurdler who landed a Galway maiden for Gordon Elliott in October. Well held last time, but that was in Grade 1 company and he's a big player with sights lowered here.

Form: 34-1225

Born Patriot³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Kevin Sexton| T: Peter Fahey

8/1

Thrice-raced winner over hurdles. 1 win from 3 runs this season. Third of 8 in novice hurdle (11/2) at Musselburgh (23.8f, good to soft) 34 days ago, needing stiffer test. Has work to do.

Form: 123

Carrolls Cottage²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Brian Hayes| T: P Fenton| OR: 123

14/1

Lightly-raced winner over hurdles. Successful at Limerick in December. 13¼ lengths fifth of 8 to Velvet Elvis in novice hurdle (12/1) at Thurles (20.2f, heavy) 26 days ago. Difficult ask.

Form: 4-12165

Gars De Sceaux⁴³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Mark Walsh| T: Mrs D Foster| OR: 127| C

9/4

Twice-raced winner over hurdles. 8/15, won 20-runner novice hurdle at this course (20f, heavy) 43 days ago, battling well. Open to improvement and he's very much one to consider.

Form: 1-21

Indiana Jones^p⁷⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: R M Power| T: M F Morris| OR: 132

8/1

Fairly useful hurdler. 8¼ lengths third of 5 to Grand Roi in Grant Thornton Hurdle at Limerick (16f, heavy, 8/1) 74 days ago. Significantly up in trip and needs a couple of these to falter.

Form: 2-143

Non-Runners

Whirling Dervish²

Weight: 11-6| Age: 6

T: J F Levins J: Ricky Doyle

Forecasts

Gars De Sceaux (9/4), Velvet Elvis (5/2), Ragnar Lodbrok (4/1), Whirling Dervish (7/1), Born Patriot (8/1), Indiana Jones (8/1), Red Gerry (12/1), Carrolls Cottage (14/1)

VELVET ELVIS and Gars De Sceaux both remain open to improvement and are expected to come to the fore in this competitive novice. Marginal preference is for the former, who did the job well from the front at Thurles last month and he will take plenty of stopping. Ragnar Lodbrok also enters the reckoning now that his sights are lowered and Whirling Dervish is also worthy of consideration.