15:55 Gowran Park

Saturday 2 October 2021

All13:0013:3514:1014:4515:2015:5516:3017:05

Barry Moloney Transport Handicap Chase

Off time: 15:57 | Winning time: 4m 59.50s

Optical Confusion^t¹⁷

Age: 9| Weight: 11-10| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: M Butler| OR: 123| D

8/1

12/1, good second of 11 in handicap chase at Sligo (17.2f, good) 17 days ago, finishing with running left. Can make presence felt.

Form: UF5542

Cerberus^t⁴³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-9| J: Simon Torrens| T: J P O'Brien| OR: 122

14/1

Eleven runs since last win in 2019. Useful winner at 16f over hurdles. 4/1, sixth of 9 in handicap chase at Killarney (17f, good to soft) 43 days ago. May yet do better in this sphere.

Form: 0-67546

Woodbrook Boy^p,t⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Shane Fenelon⁽⁷⁾| T: J J Hanlon| OR: 120| D

14/1

Respectable eighth of 16 in handicap hurdle at Listowel (20f, good, 15/2) 7 days ago. Switches from hurdles to chase. Better in this sphere, so not discounted.

Form: F64908

O Connell Street^p,t⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-5| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott| OR: 118| D

4/1

11/10, career best when winning 5-runner handicap chase at Perth (20.1f, good to soft) 9 days ago, cruising clear. Looks a natural over fences and should take all the beating once more.

Form: 03-5121

Moscowsowhat^p¹³⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 11-4| J: C J Orr| T: J Dullea| OR: 117

33/1

12/1, pulled up in handicap hurdle at Tipperary (24f, soft) 135 days ago. Switches from hurdles to chase. Returns with plenty to prove.

Form: 255FP-P

Bread And Butter^t⁸⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: C P McNamara| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 116| D

12/1

Fairly useful winner at 20f over hurdles. 25/1, pulled up in novice chase at Limerick 84 days ago, losing touch back straight. Makes handicap chase debut. Well treated on pick of hurdling efforts.

Form: 2P4-25P

Cushinstown Finest^p¹⁹⁵

Age: 9| Weight: 11-3| J: Mr R James⁽⁷⁾| T: C Bowe| OR: 116| D

28/1

Latest win in chase at Punchestown in October. Twelfth of 15 in handicap chase (28/1) at Downpatrick (28.6f, good to soft). Off 6 months. Back down in trip. Should bounce back.

Form: 124330-

Fine Brunello^p1⁴³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: Shane Fitzgerald⁽⁵⁾| T: E Bolger| OR: 116

14/1

Thirteen runs since last win in 2018. 12/1, fifth of 8 in novice chase at Killarney (23f, good to soft) 43 days ago. Cheekpieces on 1st time. Worth a market check returning to handicaps.

Form: 22/F-455

Bentham¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: L P Dempsey| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 113| BF

8/1

Creditable second of 5 in handicap chase (evens) at Sligo (17.2f, good) 17 days ago. Mark appears to sum him up, but likely to give his running at least.

Form: 05-4P22

Marshalled^p⁵⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: Mark Walsh| T: P Roche| OR: 113| D

15/2

Latest win in chase at Killarney in May. Respectable fifth of 11 in handicap chase at Wexford (20f, good, 11/1) 57 days ago. Hard to rule out.

Form: 9322-15

Fill The Tank^p⁵

Age: 7| Weight: 10-12| J: C A Landers| T: Aengus King| OR: 111

7/2

Latest win in hurdle at Roscommon in August. 18/1, good fourth of 16 in handicap hurdle at Roscommon (24.2f, good) 5 days ago. Switches from hurdles to chase. Summed up by mark in this discipline.

Form: PP1884

Siberian Star^p,t¹⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 9-13| J: Mike O'Connor⁽⁵⁾| T: P J Rothwell| OR: 98

15/2

One win from 23 NH runs. Fair winner at 24f over hurdles. 14/1, bit below form sixth of 11 in handicap chase at Downpatrick (23.5f, good to soft) 15 days ago. Others preferred.

Form: 963276

Forecasts

Fill The Tank (7/2), O Connell Street (4/1), Marshalled (15/2), Siberian Star (15/2), Optical Confusion (8/1), Bentham (8/1), Bread And Butter (12/1), Fine Brunello (14/1), Cerberus (14/1), Woodbrook Boy (14/1), Cushinstown Finest (28/1), Moscowsowhat (33/1)

O CONNELL STREET has taken well to fences and was in control a long way out when scoring at Perth 9 days ago. This is, admittedly, a bit more competitive, but he's the only one with a progressive profile, so he's an obvious choice to follow up. Optical Confusion, who shaped well at Sligo recently, is the obvious threat, while an improved showing from Cerberus isn't out of the question.