Don’t miss Betfair ambassador Gordon Elliott’s latest column as he talks through his Saturday’s runners at Fairyhouse
Gordon Elliott talks through his Saturday runners at Fairyhouse
Fairyhouse
12:25 Cornakill Rose
She showed some reasonable form in bumpers and I thought that her first run over hurdles at Navan a month ago was a reasonably solid one.
She is going to have to improve on her Navan showing to win a maiden like this but I think that she can progress and she won’t have any problems with the decent ground.
She’ll probably find a couple of these too strong but I’d expect her to run a solid race.
13:00 Smiling Eliza and Surin
Smiling Eliza will enjoy the ground but she will need a career best to be closely involved.
She loves jumping and has already had a good season over hurdles but she came up well short in a good race at Leopardstown last time and she won’t find it easy here under a double penalty.
RACECARDS Get all the form and the latest odds with our new racecards
Surin ran a lovely race on her debut over hurdles at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve where she only just failed to win.
I think that she will have learnt quite a lot from that run and she looks to have sharpened up at home since then so I’m expecting an improved effort and she is getting all the allowances which should help her go close.
13:35 Boot Camp and Satoshi (best chance)
Boot Camp is becoming disappointing and we’re trying hurdling again in a bid to get him back to the level of form that we know he is capable of.
He was well held at Punchestown last time but hopefully a step up to three miles where they will be going a stride slower might help him.
His ability isn’t in doubt but he needs to start putting his best foot forward.
Satoshi ran very well when coming from off the pace to finish fourth in a Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown a couple of weeks ago.
He was beaten just over three lengths that day and I was delighted with how he ran considering it was a very competitive race and it was his first handicap as well.
That run would suggest that he has a nice prize in him and it entitles him to go close here.
LATEST IN HORSE RACING
14:10 A Toi Phil, Duca De Thaix, Tycoon Prince and Cubomania
A Toi Phil is dropping into handicaps after some disappointing runs. He just hasn’t fired this season and last time out at Cork I thought he put himself in a position to run a big race but he dropped away tamely in the straight.
On his day he is a high class horse but he’s got questions to answer at the moment and he won’t find this easy off top weight.
This race has been Duca De Thaix’s aim since he won a valuable handicap chase over this course and distance early last month.
This looks a better race than the one he won last time and he is now ten pounds higher in the weights but I would still like to think that he will be able to play a leading role.
He has always shown us quite a bit at home and even though he has crept up the weights I think there is another good prize in him.
Tycoon Prince is a hard horse to catch right and he has never been able to properly build on the potential he showed much earlier in his career.
In fairness to him he has run two good races at this trip this season, chasing home Saint Calvados at Naas and showing up well under a big weight at Leopardstown last time.
If he turns up in that sort of form he is capable of running well.
Cubomania has had a really good season over fences and I thought he ran a nice trial for this race at Leopardstown last time when he was very badly hampered early on which meant that Davy (Russell) had to take his time and give him every chance to get back into the race.
He was never able to trouble the winner but I like the way he finished to get second. I think he has a decent chance but a slightly longer trip would suit him better.
14:45 Veinard & Mitchouka
Veinard is a frustrating horse who should have won more races than he has.
He will come on for his comeback at Leopardstown a few weeks ago where he would have run adequately only for falling at the last and he did show up well in a beginner’s chase over this course and distance last year when he was second to Cadmium.
If he could match that form with Cadmium he should run well.
Mitchouka took a little while to get his confidence back after falling on his chasing debut in the autumn but he is gradually getting there and he has produced a couple of solid efforts in races won by Getabird and Paloma Blue over the last month.
He can improve on what he has shown over fences so far and he should be able to give a good account of himself.
15:20 Monatomic
He was unlucky not to win on his first start over fences this season and he has since been placed on his next three runs.
Any one of those efforts would suggest that he will be able to win over fences at some stage this season and maybe he will appreciate moving up in distance today as he did win his maiden hurdle over just short of two and three quarter miles last season.
He is a grand, solid horse who should run his race.
15:50 Run Wild Fred & Tapenade
Run Wild Fred ran a lovely race first time out at Navan last month when he was third to Envoi Allen and that run confirmed the promise of his point-to-point win last May.
He’s a nice horse who looks to have come forward well from Navan and he is dropping down in grade from what looked a good winner’s bumper at Navan. I’m hopeful he will take beating.
Tapenade is a grand horse who has been doing fine at home for the last few weeks and he is showing enough to suggest that he is ready for a run in a bumper.
As a son of Scorpion he should enjoy the ground and hopefully he will run a solid race but I’d expect him to progress well from this first racecourse outing.