12:35 Navan

Saturday 18 December 2021

All11:3012:0512:3513:1013:4514:2014:5515:30

Mervyn Gray Construction Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 12:35 | Winning time: 5m 11.60s

Contrapposto¹³

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: R Deegan⁽³⁾| T: R Donohoe

125/1

Modest Flat winner. Once-raced maiden over hurdles. Eleventh of 18 in novice hurdle at Cork (16f, soft, 150/1) on NH debut 13 days ago. Up in trip.

Form: 0

Image of Stars that are filled with the colour gold

Faithfulflyer^t1

Age: 4| Weight: 12-0| J: R P Treacy| T: M J Smith

200/1

€2,500 3-y-o, Sageburg gelding. Half-brother to fairly useful 19f hurdle winner Serenity Grove. Wears tongue strap.

Form:

Heisenberg^p1²⁸⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: E Walsh⁽⁵⁾| T: N Meade

33/1

Once-raced maiden. 28/1, fourteenth of 16 in novice hurdle at Leopardstown (20f, good) on NH debut. Off 9 months. Yard in good form. Cheekpieces on for 1st time.

Form: 0-

Kingfisher Lane³⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: Mr B G Crawford⁽⁷⁾| T: S R B Crawford| BF

28/1

Thrice-raced maiden. 5/6, second of 5 in bumper at Newcastle (16.2f, good to firm) 30 days ago. Makes hurdles debut. Up in trip.

Form: 5-22

Listentillitellyea¹⁹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁵⁾| T: T Gibney

150/1

Twice-raced maiden. Hooded for 1st time, ninth of 13 in bumper at Perth (16.2f) in June . Others make more appeal now hurdling for new stable.

Form: 89

Lustrous Light^t⁶⁹

Age: 8| Weight: 12-0| J: D F O'Regan| T: J Motherway| C

150/1

One-time smart Flat performer who has been well held on each of his 2 starts in staying handicaps at up to 2m this year. Percentage call to look elsewhere now hurdling.

Form:

Minella Cocooner³⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| BF

30/100

Promising sort. 1 win from 2 runs this season. Second of 16 in novice hurdle (30/100) at Cork (16f, soft) on hurdles bow 34 days ago. Big player with prospect of more to come.

Form: 2-12

Mr Saxobeat¹⁴²

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: T Gibney

5/1

Ask gelding. 5/1, won 17-runner bumper at Galway (18.3f, good) on NH debut 142 days ago, kept up to work. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: PF-1

Stone Mad^t²³²

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: M Brassil

14/1

€185,000 3-y-o. Brother to useful hurdler/chaser Tintangle. 5/2 and tongue strap on, eighth of 25 in bumper at Punchestown (18f) on NH debut in April. One to note in betting now hurdling on return.

Form: 8-

Vintage Prosseco^h⁴²

Age: 6| Weight: 12-0| J: L P Dempsey| T: G P Cromwell

11/1

Bumper winner who shaped well when runner-up in a Down Royal maiden (17f) on hurdles bow 13 months ago. Hasn't scaled same heights since though, including when fifth over 19f at Naas in November.

Form: 31280-5

Cool Rain²⁰²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: J J Slevin| T: S R B Crawford

80/1

Lightly-raced maiden in bumpers. Twelfth of 13 in bumper at Punchestown (16f, good to soft, 11/2). Off 6 months. Makes hurdles debut. Up in trip.

Form: 956-20

Lady Harper¹⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: Derek McGrath⁽⁷⁾| T: R K Watson

125/1

Bienamado mare. Unplaced sole point start. Cheekpieces on, offered little when tenth of 17 in novice hurdle at this C&D (good to soft, 250/1) on NH debut 14 days ago.

Form: 00

My Design³⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Ian Power| T: Shane O'Brien

18/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. Very good third of 12 in novice hurdle (14/1) at Thurles (23.2f, good) 30 days ago, suited by increase in trip. Needs to keep the errors at bay.

Form: 1-5873

Starbella⁷³⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-7| J: C Halpin⁽⁷⁾| T: T Gibney

125/1

Modest maiden on the Flat. Twice-raced maiden over hurdles. 66/1, twelfth of 14 in juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse (2m) when last seen 2 years ago. Passed over here.

Form: 90/

West Is Awake^h³⁸⁴

Age: 5| Weight: 12-0| J: C D Timmons⁽³⁾| T: E Cawley

20/1

Once-raced maiden. 50/1 and hooded, third of 13 in bumper at Fairyhouse (2m) last November, outpaced late on but keeping on late to take a place. Reserve 1.

Form: 3-

Deal Again⁸⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: H Morgan⁽³⁾| T: V T O'Brien

150/1

Once-raced maiden. 40/1, last of 8 in bumper at Listowel (16f, good) on NH debut 84 days ago. Makes hurdles debut. Up in trip. Reserve 2.

Form: 8

Non-Runners

Fantasio D'alene¹⁴

Weight: 12-0| Age: 6

T: G Elliott J: B J Cooper

Journey With Me²⁸¹

Weight: 12-0| Age: 5

T: H De Bromhead J: Rachael Blackmore

Just Alchemist²

Weight: 12-0| Age: 4

T: P J Rothwell J: P J O'Hanlon

Little Big Rocky²⁸⁰

Weight: 12-0| Age: 6

T: P Downey J: C P McNamara

Monkstreet²⁵

Weight: 12-0| Age: 5

T: G Elliott J: D N Russell

Susans Sensation⁸⁷

Weight: 12-0| Age: 5

T: M J Smith J: P J Carberry

Ximli²

Weight: 12-0| Age: 4

T: P J Rothwell J: H Morgan

Pinkerton

Weight: 12-0| Age: 5

T: N Meade J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Minella Cocooner (30/100), Journey With Me (3/1), Monkstreet (4/1), Mr Saxobeat (5/1), Fantasio D'alene (11/2), Vintage Prosseco (11/1), Stone Mad (14/1), My Design (18/1), West Is Awake (20/1), Susans Sensation (25/1), Kingfisher Lane (28/1), Heisenberg (33/1), Cool Rain (80/1), Little Big Rocky (100/1), Pinkerton (100/1), Contrapposto (125/1), Starbella (125/1), Lady Harper (125/1), Listentillitellyea (150/1), Lustrous Light (150/1), Deal Again (150/1), Just Alchemist (150/1), Ximli (150/1), Faithfulflyer (200/1)

A winner of his sole start in points, JOURNEY WITH ME impressed when easily landing a Gowran bumper back in the spring and he's most exciting now hurdling in a race connections won 12 months ago with Bob Olinger. Minella Cocooner, who has shown plenty already over hurdles, is a big threat though, along with Fantasio d'Alene.