12:55 Limerick

Wednesday 28 December 2022

All12:2012:5513:3014:0514:4015:1515:45

CUBE Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 12:57 | Winning time: 5m 30.60s

Corbetts Cross⁴¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Miss M O'Sullivan⁽⁵⁾| T: E M O'Sullivan

3/1

Promising type. Winner in bumper at Cork in October. Second of 16 in novice hurdle at Clonmel (19.3f, heavy, 4/1) on hurdles bow 41 days ago. Should have more to offer.

Form: 213-512

Haxo²⁸⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: K Callaghan⁽⁷⁾| T: W P Mullins

8/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Well-beaten sixth of 9 to Sir Gerhard in Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Baring Bingham) at Cheltenham (21f, soft, 125/1). Off 9 months. This understandably less demanding on return and he's not out of things.

Form: 08/1626-

Seabank Bistro³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: W P Mullins| BF

8/11

Useful winner at 19f in bumpers who also posted an excellent fourth to Facile Vega in Champion Bumper at Cheltenham Festival. Good third on return/hurdles bow at Punchestown (21.3f) 38 days ago and big shout with better to come.

Form: 146-3

Youralwaysdreamin^p1,t⁵⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Shane Fitzgerald⁽³⁾| T: P T Foley| OR: 109| C

50/1

Fair hurdler. 20/1, below form tenth of 16 in novice hurdle at Fairyhouse (16.2f, heavy) 50 days ago. Up in trip. Cheekpieces on 1st time.

Form: 4318-40

Blackwater³²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: D F O'Regan| T: G Elliott

25/1

Twice-raced maiden under NH rules. 12/1, fifth of 17 in novice hurdle at Gowran (16f, heavy) on hurdles bow 32 days ago. Significantly up in trip. Yard in good form. Open to improvement.

Form: 5-5

Blue Motion^p¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-4| J: Tom Kelly⁽⁷⁾| T: D Duggan| OR: 85

250/1

50/1, pulled up in handicap hurdle at Cork (20f, soft) 17 days ago, dropping away soon after 4 out. Hard to fancy.

Form: 0-8094P

Clounts Pride^t1²⁵⁰

Age: 9| Weight: 11-4| J: Gary Noonan⁽⁷⁾| T: E McCarthy| OR: 109

33/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. 12/1, below form third of 16 in novice hurdle at Kilbeggan (19f, good). Off 8 months. Tongue strap on 1st time.

Form: 16/P533-

Drive To Survive²⁹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: A McCurtin⁽³⁾| T: Brendan Walsh

250/1

Twice-raced maiden. Last of 15 in novice hurdle (150/1) at Gowran (16f, heavy). Off 9 months. Significantly up in trip now and easy enough to look elsewhere.

Form: 00-

Franciscan Rock¹⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Ricky Doyle| T: M F Morris

11/2

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. Creditable third of 22 in novice hurdle (16/1) at Cork (16.8f, soft) 17 days ago, that despite his jumping lacking fluency. Back up in trip and respected.

Form: 4P-43

Freddie's Frontier⁴⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Mr T O'Connor⁽⁷⁾| T: T O'Connor

150/1

Lightly-raced maiden. 5/1, good third of 7 in bumper at Musselburgh (15.6f, good to soft). Off 12 months. Makes hurdles debut. Significantly up in trip. First run for yard after leaving Micky Hammond.

Form: 5/353-P

I Am Rocco²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: J B Foley| T: W P Mullins

18/1

Thrice-raced maiden under NH rules. First run since leaving Nicky Henderson when fourth of 15 in novice hurdle at Thurles (15.9f, good to soft, 10/1) on hurdles bow 27 days ago, keeping on again run-in having lost place before straight. May well do better now upped in trip.

Form: 47-4

My Fellow^p1²⁴⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Kieren Buckley⁽⁵⁾| T: Mrs D Foster

125/1

€42,000 3-y-o, Arctic Cosmos gelding. Dam, lightly raced in bumpers/over hurdles, half-sister to unreliable but fair hurdler/fairly useful chaser (stayed 3m) Very Stylish. Failed to complete all 3 starts in points, pulled up latest (Apr 24).

Form: PFP-

Wee Charlie³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: E Walsh⁽⁵⁾| T: T Gibney

125/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. 80/1, third of 10 in novice hurdle at Cork (16f, soft) 38 days ago. Significantly up in trip now but handicaps likely to be more his bag in due course.

Form: U9P8-3

Fiery Brown¹⁶⁶

Age: 6| Weight: 10-11| J: Donagh Meyler| T: S O O'Brien

200/1

Winning pointer. Once-raced maiden under Rules. 10/1, eighth of 15 in novice hurdle at Killarney (22.8f, good) on NH debut 166 days ago. Should improve.

Form: 22F-228

Kadys Dirha^b²⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 10-11| J: Gavin Brouder⁽⁵⁾| T: T P O'Connor

200/1

Lightly-raced maiden. Blinkered for 1st time, third of 17 in novice hurdle at Clonmel (16.2f, heavy, 200/1) 20 days ago. Back up in trip.

Form: P0PP3

Non-Runners

Silver King²⁹

Weight: 11-4| Age: 6

T: O McKiernan J: Richard Condon

Forecasts

Seabank Bistro (8/11), Corbetts Cross (3/1), Franciscan Rock (11/2), Haxo (8/1), Silver King (10/1), I Am Rocco (18/1), Blackwater (25/1), Clounts Pride (33/1), Youralwaysdreamin (50/1), Wee Charlie (125/1), My Fellow (125/1), Freddie's Frontier (150/1), Fiery Brown (200/1), Kadys Dirha (200/1), Blue Motion (250/1), Drive To Survive (250/1)

SEABANK BISTRO, fourth in last season's Champion Bumper, produced a promising effort when third on return/hurdles bow at Punchestown 38 days ago and he can build on that and come out on top here. Corbetts Cross, Franciscan Rock and Haxo are others fancied to play a part.