16:15 Punchestown

Wednesday 26 April 2023

All15:4016:1516:4517:2017:5518:3019:0519:45

Connolly's RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final

Off time: 16:15 | Winning time: 5m 1.00s

Three Card Brag⁴⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: A P Heskin| T: G Elliott| OR: 138| D

9/4

Useful hurdler. 4/1, respectable 5½ lengths fifth of 20 to Stay Away Fay in Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Spa) at Cheltenham (24f, good to soft) 40 days ago. Not taken lightly.

Form: 1-13215

Image of Stars that are filled with the colour gold

Nucky Johnson¹⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: L A McKenna⁽⁵⁾| T: N Meade| OR: 134| C

12/1

Useful hurdler. Course winner. 37½ lengths last of 6 to Hercule Du Seuil in Hardy Eustace Novices' Hurdle at Fairyhouse (16f, good to soft, 9/2) 17 days ago. Up in trip. Enters calculations.

Form: 3-13116

Sandor Clegane⁴⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-10| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: P Nolan| OR: 141| C

15/8

Useful hurdler. Course winner. 28/1, good 1¼ lengths third of 20 to Stay Away Fay in Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (Spa) at Cheltenham (24f, good to soft) 40 days ago. Expected to be bang there.

Form: 27-2133

Senior Chief³⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-10| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead| CD

10/3

Promising individual. C&D winner. 2 wins from 3 runs this season. 6/4, career best when winning 5-runner novice hurdle at Navan (22f, heavy) 37 days ago, driven out. Capable of better and likely to have a big say.

Form: 312-211

Fine Margin^t⁶⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: Danny Mullins| T: M A Daly| OR: 115

50/1

Lightly-raced maiden under NH rules. 6/1, creditable second of 14 in novice hurdle at Fairyhouse (16.5f, good to soft) 60 days ago. Back up in trip. Something to find on form.

Form: 4-55542

Free Flowing¹²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: R P Geoghegan⁽⁷⁾| T: N Lee| BF

66/1

Thrice-raced maiden. 8/13, third of 12 in novice hurdle at Ballinrobe (17.4f, soft) 12 days ago. Yard in good form.

Form: 5-233

Grand Rouge⁵²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: Daniel King⁽⁵⁾| T: J Barcoe

300/1

Poor hurdler. Ninth of 12 in novice hurdle at Wexford (16f, good to soft, 66/1) 52 days ago. Up in trip. Easy to look elsewhere.

Form: 909P89

Ik's Man^b1,t²⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: J P Shinnick⁽⁷⁾| T: T O'Brien

66/1

Fair hurdler. Good second of 9 in novice hurdle at Wexford (20.7f, heavy, 11/4) 26 days ago. Blinkered for 1st time.

Form: 362452

My Gaffer⁵¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-3| J: Liam Quinlan⁽⁵⁾| T: J P Ryan

25/1

Lightly-raced winner under NH rules. 11 lengths third of 5 to Della Casa Lunga in novice hurdle at Leopardstown (16f, good to soft, 5/2) on hurdles bow 51 days ago, unable to sustain effort.

Form: 22143

Rocco Bay⁷⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: Mark Walsh| T: Peter Fahey| OR: 112

40/1

Fair hurdler. 2 wins from 5 runs this season. Hooded for 1st time, sixth of 9 in novice hurdle at Naas (19f, good to soft, 12/1) 74 days ago. Plenty to find on form but the stable has won the last 2 runnings of this.

Form: 3-11P76

Della Casa Lunga^t³¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: Phillip Enright| T: S Curling| OR: 116

14/1

Fairly useful hurdler. Winner in hurdle at Leopardstown in March. 5/1, good third of 6 in minor event hurdle at Limerick (16.2f, soft) 31 days ago. Back up in trip.

Form: 423F13

Mollys Glory³⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 10-10| J: Sean Flanagan| T: M C Grassick| OR: 107

33/1

Fair hurdler. Thirteen runs since last win in 2021. Respectable sixth of 17 in novice hurdle at Navan (16f, heavy, 11/2) 37 days ago. Up in trip.

Form: 242206

Non-Runners

Pale Blue Dot⁶

Weight: 11-10| Age: 7

T: D Hogan J: Donagh Meyler

Forecasts

Sandor Clegane (15/8), Three Card Brag (9/4), Senior Chief (10/3), Nucky Johnson (12/1), Della Casa Lunga (14/1), My Gaffer (25/1), Mollys Glory (33/1), Rocco Bay (40/1), Fine Margin (50/1), Pale Blue Dot (50/1), Free Flowing (66/1), Ik's Man (66/1), Grand Rouge (300/1)

SENIOR CHIEF is selected to continue his trend of run-by-run improvement and complete a hat-trick for the Henry de Bromhead/Rachael Blackmore partnership. The drop back in trip is a slight concern for Albert Bartlett third and fifth Sandor Clegane and Three Card Brag but they should still have the class to figure. Noel Meade's Nucky Johnson is another unlikely to be too far away.