14:18 Punchestown

Monday 13 January 2025

All12:4813:1813:4814:1814:4815:1815:48

Festival 2025 Hospitality Selling Fast Novice Handicap Hurdle

Off time: 14:18 | Winning time: 5m 21.08s

Birmingham Alabama¹²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Jordan Gainford| T: E D Delany| OR: 105| D

9/4

Promising individual. Winner in hurdle at Wexford in July. Creditable third of 20 in handicap hurdle (14/1) at Fairyhouse (20f, soft) 12 days ago. Can make presence felt.

Form: 41-5213

Image of Stars that are filled with the colour gold

Lehaunstown³⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: Sean Flanagan| T: B Connell| OR: 105

13/2

Thrice-raced maiden. 80/1, twentieth of 25 in novice hurdle at Navan (16f, soft) 37 days ago. Up in trip. Yard in good form. Makes handicap hurdle debut. May well do better.

Form: 0-60

Backonthegoagain¹⁵⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-9| J: Aidan Kelly⁽⁵⁾| T: C Bowe| OR: 102

33/1

Thrice-raced maiden. 66/1, tenth of 14 in novice hurdle at Wexford (16.7f, good to soft) 157 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut. Open to improvement.

Form: 1-1000

Gringo D'ainay^p1³⁴

Age: 9| Weight: 11-5| J: Brian Hayes| T: J Queally| OR: 98

8/1

Seventh of 14 in novice hurdle (125/1) at this course (16.6f, soft) 34 days ago. Cheekpieces on for 1st time.

Form: 0853/07

Pebble Bleu^t1¹⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: Cian Quirke⁽⁵⁾| T: C Motherway| OR: 95| C

4/1

40/1, pulled up in Gr 2 chase at Limerick (22.6f, soft) 17 days ago won by Bioluminescence, pulled up early in straight. Switches from chase to hurdles. Makes handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 45155P

Ain't No Sunshine³⁰

Age: 9| Weight: 11-0| J: Paddy Hanlon⁽⁷⁾| T: Miss T L Cogan| OR: 93

40/1

Fairly useful winner at 16f in bumpers. First run since leaving Keith Dalgleish when ninth of 14 in novice hurdle (250/1) at Fairyhouse (23.2f, good to soft) 30 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 1P863/9

The Lucky Lobster^h,t¹⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 10-13| J: Kevin Sexton| T: D Queally| OR: 92

7/1

10/1, respectable seventh of 18 in handicap hurdle at Limerick (19f, soft) 15 days ago. Others more persuasive.

Form: 06-8287

Wendell's Lass^p1³⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 10-9| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: T Gibney| OR: 88

6/1

Creditable third of 12 in handicap hurdle (18/1) at Fairyhouse (16.5f, good to soft) 30 days ago. Cheekpieces on 1st time. Can give a good account without posing serious threat to principals.

Form: 96/2-553

Avandra¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 10-5| J: Tiernan Power Roche⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell| OR: 84

10/1

25/1, creditable fifth of 18 in handicap hurdle at this course (16.4f, heavy) 13 days ago, running on late. Trainer going well. Needs a couple of these to falter.

Form: 09-5605

Realtin Lonrach¹²

Age: 9| Weight: 10-1| J: M J M O'Sullivan| T: M O'Dowd| OR: 80

25/1

Pulled up in handicap hurdle at Tramore (21.6f, heavy, 18/1) 12 days ago, dropping away early final circuit.

Form: 0-0350P

Non-Runners

Beggars Rock¹

Weight: 11-12| Age: 6

T: D Queally J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Birmingham Alabama (9/4), Beggars Rock (3/1), Pebble Bleu (4/1), Wendell's Lass (6/1), Lehaunstown (13/2), The Lucky Lobster (7/1), Gringo D'ainay (8/1), Avandra (10/1), Realtin Lonrach (25/1), Backonthegoagain (33/1), Ain't No Sunshine (40/1)

Unexposed mare BIRMINGHAM ALABAMA improved when third back from a break on her handicap debut at Fairyhouse and, armed with scope for further improvement, she looks the way to go. Lehaunstown can be expected to leave his low-key maiden form well behind now pitched into a handicap and is feared most ahead of Wendell's Lass. However, there is a significant caveat: if recent runaway Limerick winner Beggars Rock sidesteps his engagement here on Sunday and takes his chance, he will be a huge player.