13:20 Down Royal

Tuesday 20 January 2026

All12:5013:2013:5014:2014:5015:2015:50

Franciscan Well Rated Novice Hurdle

Off time: 13:20 | Winning time: 4m 30.00s

Jony R^h1²²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-12| J: J J Slevin| T: S R B Crawford| OR: 118| CD

15/2

Fairly useful hurdler. C&D winner. 1 win from 3 runs this season. 33/1, seventh of 9 in handicap hurdle at Leopardstown (20.5f, good to soft) 22 days ago. Hood on 1st time.

Form: 037/1F-7

Spinola Bay^p1¹⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-7| J: Jack Kennedy| T: G Elliott| OR: 113| BF

11/4

2-2 in handicaps this season, latterly a big-field race at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting. Creditable third of 7 in novice at Cork (16.9f, good to soft, 5/4) 17 days ago. Cheekpieces on 1st time. Open to further progress for top yard which does well in this race.

Form: 753/113

Jazz Forever⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Danny Gilligan| T: P W Flynn| OR: 110

40/1

Lightly-raced maiden over hurdles. Very good fourth of 14 in handicap (20/1) at Dundalk (10.7f) 7 days ago. Switches from Flat to hurdles. Improvement will be needed.

Form: 9656/

Night Moon^h,t⁴⁴

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Paul Townend| T: W P Mullins

4/1

Fairly useful Flat winner. Below that level in 3 hurdle starts since joining Willie Mullins but the type to do better before long.

Form: 755

Beckistine²²

Age: 7| Weight: 11-3| J: Donagh Meyler| T: M A Molloy| OR: 109

11/1

Fair hurdler. 7/1, sixth of 8 in novice hurdle at Limerick (19f, heavy) 22 days ago.

Form: 53/4996

Mavetherave³⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: Darragh O'Keeffe| T: W R Crawford| OR: 109

5/1

Fair maiden hurdler. Off 4 months, not disgraced in handicap at Navan 5 weeks ago. May strip fitter now and thereabouts on his best form.

Form: 76/3420

Youlita¹⁷

Age: 7| Weight: 11-1| J: Philip Byrnes| T: C Byrnes| OR: 107

9/2

Downpatrick maiden hurdle winner last May. Might have needed first run since when fifth of 7 in novice (11/2) at Cork (16.9f, good to soft) 17 days ago.

Form: 3363/15

Zuzukel^h,t⁶⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-1| J: Daniel King| T: A J Martin| OR: 107

6/1

Promising sort. Excellent second of 8 in handicap hurdle (12/1) at Punchestown (15.8f, heavy) 68 days ago, doing better under change of tactics. Hood back on. Leading claims.

Form: F088/82

Forecasts

Spinola Bay (11/4), Night Moon (4/1), Youlita (9/2), Mavetherave (5/1), Zuzukel (6/1), Jony R (15/2), Beckistine (11/1), Jazz Forever (40/1)

ZUZUKEL shaped well under a change of tactics when narrowly denied in a Punchestown handicap hurdle last time and may be able to take advantage of the weight he receives from Gordon Elliott's dual hurdle winner Spinola Bay. Mavetherave may prove best of the remainder.