14:25 Galway

Tuesday 10 October 2017

All14:2515:0015:3016:0016:3517:0517:35

Mervue Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 14:25 | Winning time: 4m 57.2s

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Selected odds by:

Danse Away⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: S J Gray⁽³⁾| T: T J Nagle-Jr

66/1

Point-to-point winner showed fair form in two bumpers finishing fourth each time. Well beaten on hurdles debut at Tipperary. Should appreciate extra 2f but must step up to feature.

Form: 3124-47

Gagas Horse²²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Paul Townend| T: A Maguire

11/2

Former bumper winner has shown good form in two hurdle starts to date. Improved from Limerick fourth to second here over 2m½f. Stayed on as if would appreciate extra distance here. Bold bid expected.

Form: 42-1342

Paulie C²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: L P Flynn⁽³⁾| T: Mrs M Danagher

100/1

Beat just one home when 100/1 here last time out. Gagas Horse finished 60L plus ahead of him there so can't make a case today.

Form: 500

Poli Roi¹⁶⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: D N Russell| T: G Elliott

4/7

Well-bred sort bolted up in a point-to-point and Navan bumper before a good third to Fayonagh in Punchestown Champion Bumper. Likely to take high rank amongst this season's novices for top connections.

Form: 113-

Rock On Barney^t⁷⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Mr L P Gilligan⁽⁷⁾| T: G T Lynch| OR: 81

100/1

Looks fully exposed having raced 13 times over hurdles. Looked a likely winner in handicaps early in the year before losing his way. Even if back to his best up against it facing unexposed rivals here.

Form: 30-80P0

Soleglad¹⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: G N Fox| T: G P Cromwell

50/1

Showed smart form in good ground bumpers in UK but made little impression on hurdles debut albeit a 30 runner race was something of a baptism of fire. Should improve but would have to quite significantly.

Form: 1240

Stowaway Forever¹⁶⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: L P Dempsey| T: J P Dempsey

12/1

Impressive point-to-point winner over 3m and not disgraced in three bumpers earlier in the year. Interesting debutant but suspect his best distance will prove to be quite a bit further than this.

Form: 1/9425-

The Bronc⁹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: P E Corbett⁽³⁾| T: S Nolan

66/1

Ordinary form in three bumpers to date. Best effort finishing third in the middle of those at Down Royal but well beaten at Roscommon latest and was pulled up in lone point-to-point.

Form: P/737

The Rory Story²⁸⁵

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: Sean Flanagan| T: N Meade

8/1

Met several smart individuals in both maiden hurdle starts last December so both fifth placed efforts better than immediately appear. Impressed before in a Navan bumper and no surprise if he is involved here.

Form: 155-

Trainwreck²⁵²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: B J Cooper| T: H De Bromhead| BF

8/1

Point-to-point winner on heavy ground at Durrow in early 2016. Fourth at Leopardstown followed by second at Down Royal in two bumpers left suggestion he was a stayer in the making.

Form: 1/42-

Dawn Shadow¹¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Rachael Blackmore| T: Mrs D A Love

16/1

Achieved a decent level of form in bumpers, winning one of seven (at Downpatrick). Should be fully fit for hurdles debut so could go well if taking to it.

Form: 3138-44

Drumbar Millie^t1¹⁵

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: D F O'Regan| T: N Carolan

100/1

Tailed off on hurdling debut in a weaker race than this and unlikely she will have gained enough for the experience to feature here.

Form: 4056

Kool Lady²²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-5| J: D E Mullins| T: D Donovan

100/1

Beaten 50L plus in all three starts to date over hurdles. Tailed off here latest at 50/1. Won a maiden point-to-point but no hint of that ability since.

Form: 4150/0

Lakeside Pearl²²

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: A W Short⁽⁷⁾| T: P G Kelly

100/1

60L behind Gagas Horse last time and similarly beaten out of sight before that on hurdles debut at Listowel. Little evidence of ability in bumpers and impossible to make a case for here.

Form: 95980

Poet Power²⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-5| J: Ruby Walsh| T: W P Mullins| C

10/1

Bumper win here in July suggested she could be a smart novice hurdler but jumped poorly on debut when a well beaten seventh at Listowel. Expect top trainer to sharpen that up but questions to answer in short-term.

Form: 137

Forecasts

Poli Roi (4/7), Gagas Horse (11/2), The Rory Story (8/1), Trainwreck (8/1), Poet Power (10/1), Stowaway Forever (12/1), Dawn Shadow (16/1), Soleglad (50/1), Danse Away (66/1), The Bronc (66/1), Drumbar Millie (100/1), Kool Lady (100/1), Lakeside Pearl (100/1), Paulie C (100/1), Rock On Barney (100/1)

A few of these have already achieved a decent level over hurdles, most notably Gagas Horse who chased home a Mullins hotpot here while looking like this extra 2f would benefit him further. The Rory Story has been off a while but wasn't disgraced in either hurdles outing and is another likely to win in this sphere soon enough. It may however pay to chance POLI ROI on his hurdles debut. An expensive point-to-point winning purchase who took high rank last in bumpers last season. It will be surprising if he isn't a graded performer as a novice so he gets the nod.