13:55 Navan

Saturday 20 January 2024

All12:4513:2013:5514:3015:0515:4216:15

Navan Handicap Hurdle (Listed)

Off time: 13:56 | Winning time: 5m 31.1s

Harvard Guy³⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Mark Walsh| T: E & P Harty| OR: 131| CD

7/4

Promising type. 2 wins from 2 runs this season. 3/1, career best when winning 11-runner listed handicap hurdle at this C&D (heavy) 34 days ago by 2 lengths from Lord Erskine, readily. Player in hat-trick bid with prospect of more to come.

Form: 9520-11

Capilano Bridge³⁶⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-10| J: C G O'Dwyer⁽⁵⁾| T: C O'Dwyer| OR: 129

66/1

Useful handicap hurdler who didn't go without promise in trio of chase tries this time last winter. 12-month absence to overcome ahead of this return to timber and the betting may prove a useful guide.

Form: 516/524-

Fortunedefortunata²⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-10| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott| OR: 129| BF| C

13/2

Course winner. 1 win from 3 runs this season. Creditable third of 13 in handicap hurdle (7/2) at Leopardstown (16f, heavy) 24 days ago, keeping on. Likely this longer trip will be in range and he's one to consider.

Form: 400-913

Make Good^p,t⁶²

Age: 9| Weight: 11-10| J: Aidan Kelly⁽⁵⁾| T: S Crawley| OR: 129| C

22/1

7/1, eighth of 11 in handicap hurdle at this course (22f, heavy) 62 days ago, weakening 2 out. Needs to leave that well behind.

Form: 22211/8

Itswhatunitesus²⁴

Age: 7| Weight: 11-7| J: Kieren Buckley| T: H Rogers| OR: 126| C

125/1

Tenth of 13 in handicap hurdle (150/1) at Leopardstown (16f, heavy) 24 days ago, awkward first and never involved. Back up in trip.

Form: 6U-PP00

Drumbear^h,t²⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 11-6| J: B W Harvey| T: J C McConnell| OR: 125| D

14/1

Useful winner at 18f in chases. 9/1, seventh of 10 in handicap chase at Leopardstown (17f, good to soft) 25 days ago. Profile over hurdles is a positive one, so interesting if switch back to this discipline has positive effect.

Form: 31/21U-7

Catch The Beast²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: Phillip Enright| T: E Cawley| OR: 122

13/2

Career best when winning 11-runner handicap hurdle (5/2) at Punchestown (19.1f, heavy) 20 days ago, travelling strongly. Much more on his plate up in class but unlikely he's reached his limit.

Form: 05-7071

Lord Erskine^b³⁴

Age: 11| Weight: 11-2| J: J J Slevin| T: H Rogers| OR: 121| C| D

13/2

Course winner. 7/1, good 2 lengths second of 11 to Harvard Guy in handicap hurdle at this C&D (heavy) 34 days ago, no match for winner. Looks competitive on form.

Form: 0/520-32

Rodaniche²⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 11-2| J: Sam Ewing| T: G Elliott| OR: 121

66/1

10/1, well-beaten eighth of 11 to Catch The Beast in handicap hurdle at Punchestown (19.1f, heavy) 20 days ago, not knocked about on the back of 10 months off. Overall record is patchy but this promises to reveal more.

Form: 71/F70-8

Kilbree Warrior^b,t⁶⁹

Age: 9| Weight: 10-11| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: O McKiernan| OR: 116| D

28/1

Pulled up in handicap hurdle (28/1) at Naas (19.9f, soft) 69 days ago, beaten 3 out having raced clear. Yet to fire this term and others arrive with much more pressing claims.

Form: 261-65P

Talk In The Park³⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 10-8| J: Danny Mullins| T: Ms M Mullins| OR: 113

5/2

9/2, very good 9 lengths fourth of 11 to Harvard Guy in handicap hurdle at this C&D (heavy) 34 days ago, outpaced between last 2 and keeping on.

Form: 0-F2464

Non-Runners

Zoffanien²⁴

Weight: 11-4| Age: 7

T: D Hogan J: D King

Forecasts

Harvard Guy (7/4), Talk In The Park (5/2), Fortunedefortunata (13/2), Lord Erskine (13/2), Catch The Beast (13/2), Drumbear (14/1), Make Good (22/1), Zoffanien (25/1), Kilbree Warrior (28/1), Capilano Bridge (66/1), Rodaniche (66/1), Itswhatunitesus (125/1)

HARVARD GUY is improving at a rate of knots, defying a 10 lb hike in the weights as he took his record to 2-2 in C&D handicaps 5 weeks ago. Open to further progress on that evidence, he earns the vote to complete the hat-trick, with Fortunedefortunata, Lord Erskine and Catch The Beast heading up the dangers.