19:25 Kilbeggan

Saturday 12 August 2023

All16:5517:2517:5518:2518:5519:2519:5520:25

Kieran Kelly Memorial Handicap Chase (0-109)

Off time: 19:25 | Winning time: 6m 42.7s

Black Samurai^t⁶⁴⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 12-0| J: Sean O'Keeffe| T: S Aherne| OR: 109| D

40/1

Latest win in chase at Killarney in August 2021. Below form eighth of 13 in handicap chase (12/1) at Naas (20f, good to soft). Off 21 months. Up in trip. Hard to know how much ability he retains.

Form: 112138/

Walking The Walk^b,t¹⁶

Age: 8| Weight: 12-0| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G Elliott| OR: 109| D

7/2

7/4, won 17-runner handicap hurdle at Limerick (22f, soft) 16 days ago, plenty in hand. Switches from hurdles to chase. Has to be taken seriously.

Form: 222131

Goodnightngodbless^p,t³⁴

Age: 10| Weight: 11-12| J: Danny Gilligan⁽⁵⁾| T: J Motherway| OR: 107| D

5/1

7/1, respectable 8¼ lengths fifth of 12 to Menindee in handicap hurdle at Sligo (25.4f, good) 34 days ago, needing stronger gallop. Switches from hurdles to chase. Not dismissed.

Form: 45-1225

Menindee^t⁶

Age: 7| Weight: 11-9| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: D M Christie| OR: 104| D

10/3

Latest win in hurdle at Sligo in July. 7/1, respectable ninth of 16 in handicap hurdle at Galway (24.3f, soft) 6 days ago. Switches from hurdles to chase.

Form: 155-F19

Room To Roam^b³⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 11-7| J: B W Harvey⁽³⁾| T: J C McConnell| OR: 102

9/1

One win from 40 NH runs. 14/1, good second of 17 in handicap chase at Tipperary (23.1f, soft) 39 days ago, staying on well. Should be on the premises again.

Form: 653-272

Hardwired^b,t²⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-5| J: M J M O'Sullivan| T: T M Walsh| OR: 100| C

11/2

22/1, career best when winning 9-runner novice hurdle at this course (19f, soft) 29 days ago, well on top finish. Back up in trip and latest effort makes him look well treated returning to chasing.

Form: 23P37-1

Napoleon Blue²²

Age: 10| Weight: 11-3| J: Sean Flanagan| T: R P Burns| OR: 98| D

18/1

One win from 26 NH runs. Seventeen runs since last win in 2019. First run since leaving Adrian Murray when eleventh of 15 in handicap chase (40/1) at Killarney (23f, good) 22 days ago. Others preferred.

Form: F420/3-0

Gonedairy²⁹

Age: 7| Weight: 11-0| J: Phillip Enright| T: D E Prendergast| OR: 95| D

11/1

First run since leaving T. Shanahan when creditable sixth of 15 in novice hurdle (10/1) at Cork (24f, good to soft) 29 days ago. Switches from hurdles to chase. Lightly raced in this sphere and worthy of consideration.

Form: 2F85P-6

Chief Seattle^b1⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 10-4| J: T Joseph Kelly⁽⁷⁾| T: J P Ryan| OR: 85

18/1

25/1, unseated rider in handicap chase at Roscommon (24.8f, soft) 4 days ago. Blinkered for 1st time.

Form: PU3P0F

Highland Sting^b⁷⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 10-3| J: Philip Donovan⁽⁵⁾| T: J P Ryan| OR: 84

16/1

Remains a maiden after 19 NH runs. 16/1, twelfth of 15 in handicap hurdle at Ballinrobe (22.1f, good) 74 days ago. Switches from hurdles to chase.

Form: P048-50

Any Day Now^p⁵³

Age: 8| Weight: 10-0| J: Shane O'Callaghan⁽⁷⁾| T: E Cawley| OR: 76

14/1

22/1, pulled up in handicap chase at Wexford (25.3f, good to soft) 53 days ago Others make more appeal.

Form: 0/400-0P

Non-Runners

Birdie Blitz⁹²

Weight: 11-2| Age: 8

T: A A Howard J: Simon Torrens

Forecasts

Menindee (10/3), Walking The Walk (7/2), Goodnightngodbless (5/1), Hardwired (11/2), Room To Roam (9/1), Gonedairy (11/1), Any Day Now (14/1), Highland Sting (16/1), Birdie Blitz (16/1), Napoleon Blue (18/1), Chief Seattle (18/1), Black Samurai (40/1)

HARDWIRED arrives on the back of a comfortable success over hurdles and, if he's in the same form returning to this sphere, he should take all the beating. The in-form Walking The Walk is an obvious danger and Room To Roam should give another good account.