14:15 Downpatrick

Sunday 2 April 2023

All13:4014:1514:5015:2516:0016:3517:10

Billie And Bertie FitzGerald Memorial Handicap Hurdle (80-109)

Off time: 14:15 | Winning time: 5m 53.0s

Ballyquin Bay²⁵⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-13| J: M J M O'Sullivan⁽⁵⁾| T: G Elliott| OR: 105| BF

6/1

Lightly-raced maiden. 1/3, bit below form fourth of 8 in novice hurdle at Perth (20.2f, good). Off 8 months. Remains open to improvement.

Form: 8-6324

Whatsyourstatus^t²⁶⁸

Age: 10| Weight: 11-12| J: Ricky Doyle| T: G O'Loughlin| OR: 104| D

33/1

Ninth of 14 in handicap hurdle (25/1) at Kilbeggan (24.4f, good to soft). Off 8 months. Others make more appeal.

Form: 7PP8-09

Speed Gang¹²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-11| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 103

10/1

Fell in novice chase at Clonmel (16.2f, heavy, 13/2) 12 days ago. Switches from chase to hurdles. Significantly back up in trip.

Form: 90-F4PF

Billable Grant^t¹³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: Shane O'Callaghan⁽⁷⁾| T: C A McBratney| OR: 101

28/1

Tongue strap on for 1st time, ninth of 14 in handicap hurdle at Navan (16f, heavy, 80/1) 13 days ago. Significantly back up in trip.

Form: P-66P09

Winding River^t¹⁵⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-9| J: Richard Condon⁽⁵⁾| T: O McKiernan| OR: 101| BF| C

16/5

Course winner. 6/4, creditable third of 14 in novice chase at Thurles (18f, good to soft) 150 days ago, unable to sustain effort. Switches from chase to hurdles. Up in trip. Has to be taken seriously.

Form: 3FP023

Aide De Camp⁶¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: E M O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: Robert Widger| OR: 100| BF

15/2

Cheekpieces on for 1st time, below form fifth of 12 in claiming hurdle (2/1) at Limerick (21f, soft) 61 days ago. First run for yard after leaving Denis Hogan. Needs to bounce back.

Form: 4493P5

Drumderry Harlem^h,t²²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-8| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: Mark J Scallan| OR: 100

11/1

14/1, below form ninth of 20 in handicap hurdle at Gowran (20f, heavy) 22 days ago. Others more persuasive.

Form: 764229

Kingfisher Lane^t1⁷¹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-6| J: J J Slevin| T: S R B Crawford| OR: 98| C

17/2

Course winner. Sixteenth of 18 in handicap hurdle (12/1) at Navan (20f, soft) 71 days ago. Tongue strap on 1st time.

Form: 190440

Fruit Blossom²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: Danny Gilligan⁽⁷⁾| T: G Elliott| OR: 95

17/2

9/2, respectable third of 14 in novice hurdle at Thurles (21f, heavy) 20 days ago. Yard in good form. Difficult ask.

Form: 3P-6703

Aliunde^t⁹²

Age: 6| Weight: 10-9| J: Aidan Kelly⁽⁷⁾| T: M M McNiff| OR: 87

6/1

Lightly-raced maiden. 50/1, very good seventh of 22 in handicap hurdle at Punchestown (16.4f, heavy) 92 days ago, left with lot to do. Significantly up in trip. Should progress.

Form: 4-80007

St Denis's Well³¹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-8| J: Sean Flanagan| T: Ian Donoghue| OR: 86

14/1

Lightly-raced maiden. Fourth of 12 in handicap hurdle at Clonmel (24f, soft, 40/1) 31 days ago.

Form: 00004

Wee Jerry^t²⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 10-5| J: G P Brouder⁽⁵⁾| T: N McCluskey| OR: 83

20/1

50/1, sixth of 10 in novice hurdle at Navan (22.4f, good to soft) 29 days ago.

Form: 00B906

Non-Runners

Ballyglass Beauty¹⁵

Weight: 11-7| Age: 7

T: L P Cusack J: Adam Ellis

Forecasts

Winding River (16/5), Aliunde (6/1), Ballyquin Bay (6/1), Ballyglass Beauty (7/1), Aide De Camp (15/2), Fruit Blossom (17/2), Kingfisher Lane (17/2), Speed Gang (10/1), Drumderry Harlem (11/1), St Denis's Well (14/1), Wee Jerry (20/1), Billable Grant (28/1), Whatsyourstatus (33/1)

WINDING RIVER was in good form over fences when last seen and, if tuned up, he looks fairly treated back over hurdles. Ballyquin Bay is lightly raced and could pose a threat, while Aliunde isn't without hope upped markedly in trip.