12:00 Leopardstown

Wednesday 28 December 2022

All12:0012:3513:1013:4514:2014:5515:30

Savills Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 12:03 | Winning time: 5m 15.0s

Ballagh Star

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: C D Maxwell| T: Mrs Y Dunleavy

250/1

Ask gelding. Dam (h90) maiden hurdler (stayed 3m).

Form:

Built By Ballymore^t1²⁴²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: J J Slevin| T: M Brassil

10/1

Once-raced maiden. Second of 23 in bumper (6/1) at Punchestown (16f, soft) on NH debut. Off 8 months. Makes hurdles debut. Up in trip. First run for yard after leaving P. M. J. Doyle.

Form: 2-

Canal End

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Simon Torrens| T: Peter Fahey

50/1

€62,000 3-y-o, Walk In The Park gelding. Half-brother to 2 winners, including temperamental but useful hurdler/chaser Jenkins. Dam unraced half-sister to smart hurdler (2m winner) Alaivan.

Form:

Cula Bula Mamool²⁶⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Ben Kennedy⁽⁷⁾| T: J G Coogan

250/1

Making GB/IRE jumps debut. 50/1, last of 12 in handicap at Dundalk (10.7f). Off 8 months. First run for yard after leaving Miss Katy Brown.

Form:

Deep Cave³⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead

11/4

Promising sort. Point winner. 9/4, second of 22 in maiden at Punchestown (19.4f, good to soft) on hurdle debut 39 days ago. Likely to improve. Player.

Form: 1-2

El Capitaine^h⁵²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Keith Donoghue| T: A Lynch

40/1

Thrice-raced maiden under NH rules. Hooded for 1st time, sixth of 23 in novice hurdle at Cork (16f, heavy, 100/1) on hurdles bow 52 days ago. Up in trip.

Form: 58-6

Everystep Oftheway³⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Phillip Enright| T: O McKiernan

200/1

Thrice-raced maiden under NH rules. 100/1, seventh of 22 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (19.4f, good to soft) on hurdles bow 39 days ago.

Form: 90-7

Firm Footings³¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott

13/2

Promising type. 1 win from 3 runs this season. Second of 23 in novice hurdle at Navan (20f, heavy, 7/2) on hurdles bow 31 days ago. Yard in good form. Should have more to offer.

Form: 3-12

Ho My Lord

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Mark Walsh| T: W P Mullins

5/2

Tongue strap on for 1st time, won 16-runner Flat maiden at Durtal (14.4f, soft) in November 2021. Interesting to see how he compares in the betting to stablemate Lot of Joy now hurdling.

Form:

Kilballyowen⁷³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: B J Cooper| T: A J Martin

80/1

Bought for £130,000 after a point win. Betting should guide now hurdling.

Form: 7-1

Moon D'orange⁶⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: B W Harvey⁽⁵⁾| T: J C McConnell

125/1

£38,000 4-y-o, Spanish Moon gelding. Dam, maiden on Flat/over hurdles in France, half-sister to fairly useful French hurdler (17f winner) Orange Diamond.

Form: 3

Mustmeetthefarrier⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Jordan Gainford| T: C Collins

250/1

Once-raced maiden. Eighteenth of 24 in novice hurdle at Naas (18.8f, soft, 66/1) on NH debut 8 days ago.

Form: 0

Port Nelson⁵²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: P J Carberry| T: A J Martin

200/1

£25,000 4-y-o, Mount Nelson gelding. Dam unraced half-sister to fairly useful hurdler/chaser (winner up to 23f) Square Mile. Won a British point bumper in November.

Form: 1

San Martino²⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Sam Ewing| T: Peter Fahey

100/1

Promising individual. Fairly useful winner at 8f on flat. 12/1, first run since leaving Ger Lyons when eighth of 15 in maiden hurdle at Thurles (15.9f, good to soft) on NH debut 27 days ago. May do better.

Form: 8

Themanintheboots²⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Nathan Andrews⁽⁷⁾| T: G Elliott

200/1

Promising individual. 200/1, thirteenth of 20 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (16.3f, good to soft) 29 days ago. Back up in trip. Yard in good form. Should progress.

Form: 324000

Whatsitabout⁵²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: M F Morris

66/1

Promising sort. Fifth of 23 in novice hurdle (80/1) at Cork (16f, heavy) on NH debut 52 days ago. Up in trip. Should improve.

Form: 5

Charlie Bawnie

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Thomas Reilly⁽⁷⁾| T: T G McCourt

250/1

Champs Elysees filly. Dam (c85/h105) 19f hurdle winner (stayed 2¾m).

Form:

Ladybank

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Mike O'Connor⁽⁵⁾| T: H De Bromhead

100/1

Balko filly. Half-sister to prolific French hurdle/chase winner Athena du Berlais and fairly useful French hurdler Deesse du Berlais. Blackmore on Deep Cave but still worth a betting check.

Form:

Lot of Joy⁵²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| BF

6/5

Useful Flat winner. Promising individual. Second of 23 in maiden at Cork (16f, heavy) on NH debut 52 days ago, sticking to task. Up in trip. Yard having good spell. Open to improvement.

Form: 2

Manhattan Lady³⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-0| J: Conor Smithers⁽⁷⁾| T: Mrs J Harrington

150/1

Once-raced maiden. Unseated rider in novice hurdle at Punchestown (19.4f, good to soft, 20/1) on NH debut 39 days ago.

Form: U

Non-Runners

Rockonjade³⁴

Weight: 11-0| Age: 4

T: Richard Morrissey J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Lot of Joy (6/5), Ho My Lord (5/2), Deep Cave (11/4), Firm Footings (13/2), Built By Ballymore (10/1), El Capitaine (40/1), Canal End (50/1), Whatsitabout (66/1), Kilballyowen (80/1), San Martino (100/1), Ladybank (100/1), Rockonjade (100/1), Moon D'orange (125/1), Manhattan Lady (150/1), Everystep Oftheway (200/1), Port Nelson (200/1), Themanintheboots (200/1), Ballagh Star (250/1), Charlie Bawnie (250/1), Mustmeetthefarrier (250/1), Cula Bula Mamool (250/1)

Useful Flat performer LOT OF JOY couldn't land short odds on her hurdle debut but still offered plenty to work on and is taken to come good at the second time of asking in this sphere. Point winner Deep Cave was a promising second on her hurdle debut in November and may give the selection most to do ahead of Firm Footings. Ho My Lord would also enter the reckoning if the betting speaks in his favour.