13:55 Killarney

Sunday 14 May 2023

All13:5514:2514:5515:2515:5516:2516:5517:25

Killarney Towers Hotel Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 13:55 | Winning time: 4m 7.40s

Baltic Bird^h¹³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Richard Condon⁽⁵⁾| T: W Durkan

12/1

Useful Flat winner (11.5f) 11/2, fell in novice hurdle at Down Royal (16.8f, good to soft) 13 days ago. Should progress.

Form: 4-F

Boher Road¹⁸⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Peter Smithers⁽⁷⁾| T: J P Fahey

28/1

Fairly useful Flat winner, making GB/IRE jumps debut. Fourteenth of 16 in handicap (6/1) at Naas (10f, heavy). Off 6 months. Stamina to prove now switched to hurdles (maiden win on the level was over 1m).

Form:

Flamborough³⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: T Gibney

7/2

Fairly useful Flat winner. Twice-raced maiden over hurdles. 10/3, sixth of 24 in novice hurdle at Fairyhouse (20f, soft) 36 days ago. Live each-way claims.

Form: 26-

Morning Soldier⁹²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: J B Foley| T: T Mullins| OR: 121

11/8

Lightly-raced maiden over hurdles. Very good second of 6 in juvenile hurdle at Naas (15.6f, good to soft, 11/2) 92 days ago. Major player.

Form: 2662-

Rushford²³¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: H Morgan⁽³⁾| T: T R Hughes| BF

50/1

9/4, third of 10 in handicap at Ffos Las (16f, good to soft), finding less than looked likely. Off 7 months. First run for yard after leaving Sir Mark Prescott Bt. Interesting recruit to this sphere.

Form:

Shajak^t²⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: J S McGarvey| T: G Elliott

3/1

16/1, first run since leaving John Patrick Murtagh when fourth of 9 in handicap at Gowran (13.7f, heavy) 26 days ago, not ideally placed. Stamina pretty much assured for this Flat winner and he's one to be interested in.

Form:

Across The Ocean⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Sean Flanagan| T: G P Cromwell

250/1

Once-raced maiden. 50/1, eleventh of 13 in novice hurdle at Downpatrick (18.8f, good to soft) on NH debut 9 days ago.

Form: 0

Askwell

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: C P McNamara| T: E McNamara

125/1

€22,000 3-y-o, Doyen gelding. Dam, 2¼m-3½m hurdle/chase winner, sister to very smart hurdler/chaser (stayed 3¼m) Mala Beach. Entitled to come on for the run.

Form:

Brave Crogha

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Donagh Meyler| T: T Cooper

50/1

Brave Mansonnien gelding. Half-brother to 2 winners, including bumper winner/fairly useful 2¼m/19f hurdle winner Guinness Affair. Dam unraced. Well worth a second look in the betting.

Form:

Custom Of The Sea

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: J J Slevin| T: J P O'Brien

7/1

Soldier of Fortune gelding. Dam unraced half-sister to smart hurdler/high-class chaser (stayed 23f) Kalashnikov. In good hands and it'll be interesting to see what the market has to say.

Form:

Dream Shaper

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Ricky Doyle| T: T Cooper

250/1

Morpheus gelding. Half-brother to 1¼m winner in Italy Bridge Pinot. Dam showed little in 2 starts on Flat. The betting should point to whether he or stablemate Brave Crogha is the yard's first-string.

Form:

Gimmeago³⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Phillip Enright| T: Ian O'Connor

250/1

Twice-raced maiden. 300/1, eleventh of 15 in juvenile hurdle at Cork (16f, good to soft) 35 days ago.

Form: 00-

Highland King^t⁶⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Mike O'Connor⁽⁵⁾| T: H De Bromhead

12/1

Tongue strap on for 1st time, first run since leaving John Patrick Murtagh when eighth of 12 in handicap at Dundalk (8f, 20/1) 65 days ago. Some decent efforts at up to 1½m in handicaps on the Flat last year and has joined a top jumps yard.

Form:

Orpington

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Tom Kelly⁽⁷⁾| T: E Bolger

28/1

Harzand gelding. Half-brother to useful 7f-1½m winner Pita Pinta. Will probably come on for the run.

Form:

Tullabrack Lad³⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 10-13| J: Conor Smithers⁽⁷⁾| T: F J Flood

250/1

Once-raced maiden. 125/1, seventeenth of 18 in bumper at Fairyhouse (16f, good to soft) on NH debut 35 days ago. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: 0-

Tenacious Tess

Age: 4| Weight: 10-6| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: J Fogarty

200/1

Buratino filly. Half-sister to modest 2m hurdle winner Orla's Rainbow. Dam unraced half-sister to fairly useful 2m hurdle winner Red Wine. Probably best watched on debut.

Form:

Non-Runners

Jit Langy²²⁷

Weight: 10-13| Age: 4

T: W P Mullins J: Reserve 1

Jeriko De Baune⁴⁹

Weight: 10-13| Age: 4

T: P Fenton J: Reserve 2

My Good Pal³⁰

Weight: 10-13| Age: 4

T: B Mortell J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Morning Soldier (11/8), Shajak (3/1), Flamborough (7/2), Jeriko De Baune (6/1), Custom Of The Sea (7/1), Baltic Bird (12/1), Highland King (12/1), My Good Pal (16/1), Boher Road (28/1), Orpington (28/1), Brave Crogha (50/1), Rushford (50/1), Jit Langy (50/1), Askwell (125/1), Tenacious Tess (200/1), Gimmeago (250/1), Dream Shaper (250/1), Tullabrack Lad (250/1), Across The Ocean (250/1)

The form of the juvenile event in which MORNING SOLDIER was second at Naas in February is very solid (Jazzy Matty and Byker, fourth and third respectively in the same race, went on to fill the first two places in the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival) and he is presented with a good opportunity to open his hurdles account. This sharp track will suit Thomas Mullins' charge, who may have most to fear from Shajak, an interesting recruit from the Flat. Baltic Bird is also shortlisted.