16:25 Downpatrick

Monday 15 July 2024

All14:4015:1515:5016:2517:0017:3018:00

Plus 2 Print Remembering Tony Oakes MBE Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 16:26 | Winning time: 5m 20.0s

Midleton Rare³⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Patrick M O'Brien⁽⁷⁾| T: D A McLoughlin

15/2

Lightly-raced winner under Rules (successful in a bumper). 10/3, twelfth of 22 in novice hurdle at Punchestown (19.4f, good) on hurdles bow 37 days ago. Should improve.

Form: P/6241-0

River Tara²⁹⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins| C

5/4

Promising type. One win from 3 runs last season. Creditable second of 18 in novice hurdle at Listowel (20f, soft, 3/1) when last seen 9 months ago. Remains open to improvement and will surely be bang there at the finish, provided she is fully tuned-up.

Form: P52/132-

Charlie's Dilemma²⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: B W Harvey| T: J C McConnell

16/5

Lightly-raced maiden under Rules. Very good second of 13 in novice hurdle (25/1) at this course (21.8f, good) 29 days ago. Live each-way chance if able to build on that effort.

Form: 753-2

Dersalwayssometin

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Kieren Buckley| T: Ian Donoghue

80/1

Califet gelding. Half-brother to bumper winner Paddy The Wire. Stable in good form. Probably best watched on debut.

Form:

Imperial Fashion²²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: K C Sexton| T: E Sheehy

125/1

Imperial Monarch gelding. Half-brother to modest hurdler Bearwithmenow. No impact in 2 starts between the flags.

Form: 7P-

Look Dont Touch³⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-4| J: Mr I Ryan⁽⁷⁾| T: Conor Maxwell| OR: 103

16/1

Fair chaser. Remains a maiden after 16 hurdle runs. Below form fifth of 12 in handicap hurdle (33/1) at Sligo (25.8f, good to soft) 34 days ago.

Form: 356-255

Ollie La Ba Ba^p,t²⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Gary Noonan⁽⁵⁾| T: E McCarthy| OR: 111

7/2

Fair hurdler. Remains a maiden after 7 hurdle runs. 16/1 and cheekpieces on for 1st time, good third of 13 in novice hurdle at this course (21.8f, good) 29 days ago. Place possibilities.

Form: 62U-943

Vaureal²²⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Jordan Gainford| T: C Bowe

18/1

€72,000 3-y-o, Kapgarde gelding. Brother to 3 winners, including useful hurdler/very smart chaser Hammersly Lake and useful chaser Almazhar Garde, stays 3¾m. Pulled up sole start between the flags but worth a second look in the betting nonetheless.

Form: P-

Western Ability⁵²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: D M Christie

66/1

Once-raced maiden. 66/1, eighth of 15 in novice hurdle at this course (18.8f, good to soft) on NH debut 52 days ago.

Form: PP7R-8

Nicolas Fortune^t⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 10-11| J: Philip Donovan⁽⁵⁾| T: K A Heffernan

80/1

Thrice-raced maiden under Rules. 66/1, sixth of 13 in novice hurdle at Roscommon (20.6f, good to soft) on hurdles bow 7 days ago.

Form: P/PP-606

Non-Runners

Beaufort Scale¹⁰

Weight: 11-4| Age: 5

T: G Elliott J: Sam Ewing

Forecasts

River Tara (5/4), Beaufort Scale (11/4), Charlie's Dilemma (16/5), Ollie La Ba Ba (7/2), Midleton Rare (15/2), Look Dont Touch (16/1), Vaureal (18/1), Western Ability (66/1), Nicolas Fortune (80/1), Dersalwayssometin (80/1), Imperial Fashion (125/1)

Promising types BEAUFORT SCALE and River Tara are likely to come to the fore in this maiden. The latter is not passed over at all lightly but Beaufort Scale shades preference on the back of a very encouraging hurdles debut second at Cork. Though Ollie La Ba Ba was a place behind the re-opposing Charlie's Dilemma when third here last month, he was hampered in the closing stages on that occasion and may well reverse those placings granted better luck this time.