14:20 Down Royal

Friday 18 June 2021

All13:2013:5014:2014:5515:3016:0516:4017:10

E M Gray & Company Ltd Opportunity Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 14:22 | Winning time: 4m 48.0s

Bachelor¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Dylan Johnston⁽⁴⁾| T: N C Kelly| OR: 106

14/1

Modest hurdler. Remains a maiden after 12 hurdle runs. Respectable seventh of 18 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (20.4f, good to soft, 100/1) 18 days ago.

Form: 7P/8P7-7

Grangeclare Native^b1,t⁴¹

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: Jordan Gainford⁽⁴⁾| T: Mrs D Foster| OR: 115

5/1

Fair hurdler. Remains a maiden after 7 hurdle runs. Tongue strap on for 1st time, eleventh of 14 in handicap hurdle (10/1) at Cork (20f, good to soft) 41 days ago. Needs blinkers to perk him up.

Form: F24P0-0

Aldo The Apache³⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: P J Cawley⁽⁴⁾| T: Colm Murphy

66/1

Thrice-raced maiden. Eleventh of 14 in novice hurdle (33/1) at Clonmel (19.9f, good) 36 days ago.

Form: F-U0

Ballyearl^p,t²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-6| J: R Deegan| T: Caroline Mccaldin

20/1

Thrice-raced maiden. Third of 7 in hunter chase at Downpatrick (23.5f, soft, 16/1) 28 days ago. Makes hurdles debut. Not totally discounted.

Form: 535-335

Look Dont Touch^t¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: D J Hand⁽⁴⁾| T: D A McLoughlin

9/4

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. Tongue strap on for 1st time, excellent second of 17 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (20.4f, good to soft, 12/1) 18 days ago.

Form: 8F5-52

One For Joe²⁰²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: G P Brouder| T: C Byrnes| OR: 108| BF

11/2

Fair hurdler. Lame when pulled up in handicap hurdle (7/2) at Fairyhouse (19.5f, soft). Reasonable claims if he returns from 6 months off on his game.

Form: 33/542P-

Rathbourne Banks^h1²⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-6| J: W J Gleeson⁽⁴⁾| T: J O Clifford

150/1

Thrice-raced maiden. Sixth of 11 in novice hurdle (33/1) at Tipperary (24f, heavy) 24 days ago. Hooded for 1st time.

Form: FPU/00-6

Shake Him Up⁷⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Mike O'Connor⁽⁴⁾| T: E Mullins

9/4

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. 125/1, sixteenth of 18 in novice hurdle at Fairyhouse (20f, good to soft) 76 days ago.

Form: 0F80-

Synone²⁸⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-6| J: Shane Fitzgerald⁽⁴⁾| T: J P Ryan

28/1

Once-raced maiden. Last of 10 in bumper at Galway (16.6f, soft, 20/1) on NH debut. Off 9 months. Makes hurdles debut. Up in trip.

Form: 0-

Perryville¹⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-3| J: C Brassil⁽²⁾| T: S R B Crawford

25/1

Once-raced maiden. Eighth of 17 in novice hurdle (18/1) at Punchestown (20.4f, good to soft) on NH debut 18 days ago.

Form: 8

Farrawaybay^t¹³

Age: 7| Weight: 10-13| J: E Walsh⁽²⁾| T: M A Molloy

28/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. Eleventh of 13 in novice hurdle (50/1) at Tramore (16.8f, good to soft) 13 days ago. Back up in trip.

Form: 77-60

Pikaia¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-10| J: Simon Torrens| T: Mrs D Foster

7/1

Fair maiden on the Flat. Twice-raced maiden. Fourth of 17 in novice hurdle (22/1) at Roscommon (15.4f, good) 10 days ago. Significantly up in trip. Something to prove.

Form: P4

Xquisite^p¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-10| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽²⁾| T: C A McBratney

125/1

Poor maiden on the Flat. Once-raced maiden. Thirteenth of 22 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (16f, good to soft, 300/1) on NH debut 19 days ago. Up in trip. Cheekpieces on for 1st time in this code.

Form: 0

Ceejaythedeejay¹⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: P J O'Hanlon⁽⁴⁾| T: S R B Crawford

66/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. Twelfth of 18 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (20.4f, good to soft, 150/1) 18 days ago. RESERVE.

Form: 45-70

Non-Runners

Offaly Star¹¹

Weight: 11-6| Age: 5

T: S Curling J: T N Brett

Bennystiara²⁸

Weight: 10-13| Age: 6

T: H De Bromhead J: H Morgan

It Ain't Me¹²

Weight: 11-6| Age: 5

T: M Torrens J: Reserve 2

Ask Stampy¹⁸⁴

Weight: 11-6| Age: 5

T: Colm Murphy J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Look Dont Touch (9/4), Shake Him Up (9/4), Grangeclare Native (5/1), Bennystiara (5/1), One For Joe (11/2), Pikaia (7/1), Offaly Star (10/1), Bachelor (14/1), Ballyearl (20/1), Perryville (25/1), Farrawaybay (28/1), Synone (28/1), It Ain't Me (33/1), Ask Stampy (33/1), Aldo The Apache (66/1), Ceejaythedeejay (66/1), Xquisite (125/1), Rathbourne Banks (150/1)

LOOK DONT TOUCH's second at Punchestown recently is comfortably the best piece of form on show and he should be able to go one better taking on a bunch of rivals that, in the main, have plenty to prove. One For Joe is a danger if tuned up on his return, while Grangeclare Native could improve for the fitting of blinkers, so he's not totally ruled out.