13:03 Gowran Park

Thursday 23 January 2025

All13:0313:3814:1314:4815:2315:5816:28

Connolly's Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 13:04 | Winning time: 4m 22.50s

Ennell Shadow⁴⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: E Walsh| T: Ciaran Murphy

50/1

€38,000 3-y-o, My Dream Boat gelding. Half-brother to numerous winners, including useful hurdler/fair chaser Shadow Eile and fairly useful hurdler/fair chaser Corskeagh Royale. Dam unraced. Unplaced sole start in points (Dec 8).

Form: 6

Image of Stars that are filled with the colour gold

Scodar³²⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-10| J: Sean Cleary-Farrell⁽⁷⁾| T: J M Barrett

20/1

£30,000 3-y-o, Gentlewave gelding. Dam unraced. Pulled up sole start in points (Mar 2024).

Form: P-

Journey So Far³¹²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-8| J: Keith Donoghue| T: G P Cromwell

3/1

€26,000 3-y-o, Jet Away gelding. Brother to fairly useful hurdler/chaser Ryan's Rocket, and half-brother to 3 winners, including fairly useful hurdler/useful chaser Powerstown Park. Dam unraced. Still going well when fell 3 out sole start in points (Mar 2024).

Form: F-

Kish Bank⁸⁹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: Sam Ewing| T: G Elliott| BF

11/4

Easy winner only start in points and justified good support to make a winning Rules debut in 8-runner Punchestown bumper (16.7f) in December 2023. Lost his unbeaten record with a bit of whimper sent hurdling at Galway 3 months ago and he should be capable of much better.

Form: 11-5

Reliable Prince

Age: 5| Weight: 11-6| J: Mr J L Gleeson⁽³⁾| T: E Bolger

33/1

€24,000 3-y-o, Reliable Man gelding. Dam unraced. Likely outsider on debut.

Form:

Coral River¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Danny Mullins| T: T Mullins

11/2

Runner-up on 3 of 4 starts in bumpers (fairly useful form) but ran below that level sent hurdling after 11 weeks off when tailed-off eleventh of 21 in maiden at Naas (16f, heavy) 18 days ago. Will need to leave that effort behind but can do so.

Form: 522-20

Gillane²⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: M J M O'Sullivan| T: K F O'Donnell

20/1

Runner-up completed start in points. 14/1, sixth of 13 in bumper at Limerick (18f, soft) on NH debut 26 days ago. Makes hurdles debut.

Form: P-26

Belle The Tigress³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-3| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: H De Bromhead

9/4

Shaped well again when never-nearer third of 20 in maiden hurdle (14/1) at Naas (16.2f, good to soft) 38 days ago, outpaced early in straight but finishing strongly. Open to further progress and may well prove tough to beat.

Form: 53

Great Bird

Age: 5| Weight: 11-3| J: R Deegan| T: Liz Doyle

66/1

€28,000 3-y-o, Westerner mare. Half-sister to unbeaten bumper winner/useful 2m/19f hurdle winner Credrojava. Dam unraced half-sister to bumper winner up to 2½m winner Eilise's A Lady.

Form:

Stretchemout¹²

Age: 5| Weight: 10-13| J: Danny Gilligan| T: G Elliott

20/1

Winning pointer. Tailed-off fourth of 14 in maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse (18.4f, good to soft, 33/1) on NH debut 12 days ago, left in frame last. Looks one for the longer term.

Form: 714

Forecasts

Belle The Tigress (9/4), Kish Bank (11/4), Journey So Far (3/1), Coral River (11/2), Gillane (20/1), Stretchemout (20/1), Scodar (20/1), Reliable Prince (33/1), Ennell Shadow (50/1), Great Bird (66/1)

It's hard to look beyond BELLE THE TIGRESS, who again shaped well when finishing a never-nearer third at Naas last month so Henry de Bromhead's mare can make it third time lucky with further progress in the pipeline. Kish Bank lost his unbeaten record with a bit of whimper sent hurdling at Galway 3 months ago, but he should be capable of much better so heads up the dangers, with Journey So Far and Coral River another couple worth keeping a close eye on, too.