14:45 Fairyhouse

Wednesday 7 February 2018

All13:4514:1514:4515:2015:5016:2016:50

Follow Fairyhouse On Twitter Rated Novice Hurdle

Off time: 14:45 | Winning time: 4m 30.6s

Settings

Selected odds by:

Monotype¹⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: D J McInerney⁽⁵⁾| T: P Nolan| OR: 120| D

4/1

Positive riding tactics appeared to bring about an improved effort at Limerick in December (2m heavy) when accounting for Wait Here by 4½L. Ran well in a stronger handicap next time, but seemingly not staying the 2m4f trip.

Form: 25-8614

Imperial Way^p1,t⁴²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-8| J: E T Daly⁽⁷⁾| T: J P O'Brien| OR: 116| D

10/1

Rewarded for some consistent efforts in bumpers with a victory at Wexford in October. Not looked an obvious hurdles winner thus far, but this is a far weaker race than the one he tackled at Leopardstown over Christmas. Wears cheek-pieces.

Form: 232-104

Penance^t⁷

Age: 8| Weight: 11-3| J: A E Lynch| T: T Gibney| OR: 111

12/1

Not progressed since winning at Ballinrobe in May, and ideally suited by a longer trip. Needs to show that he can recapture his best level of form before being considered.

Form: 217955

Love And Wishes¹⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: R M Power| T: Mrs J Harrington| OR: 110

9/2

Still has time on his side over hurdles (just four starts), but looks more of a handicapping prospect than a novice hurdle winner. Beaten less than 2L by Mick The Boyo at Naas last week (2m soft to heavy), so well-being assured.

Form: 0-69P44

Slievenamon^h1¹⁵³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-2| J: S W Flanagan| T: Eric Larkin| OR: 105

40/1

Kept on well when a decisive winner of a 2m3f mares handicap hurdle at Cork in August (yielding), but her progress was thwarted by a subsequent 10lb rise in the weights. Back down in trip in the first time hood.

Form: P43106

Bracklin Princess⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: P E Corbett⁽³⁾| T: T Cleary| OR: 97

33/1

Longstanding maiden; 0 from 27 career, 0 from 16 over hurdles, so little to suggest she's capable of changing that sequence in an open looking novices hurdle.

Form: 744548

Chesterfield King¹⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: L P Dempsey| T: J P Dempsey| OR: 105

11/2

Better than the finishing position implied at Navan latest (2m4f heavy); pecked at the last. Probably more of a realistic handicap prospect, but back down in trip to 2m, a positive showing couldn't be totally dismissed.

Form: 285484

Apparition⁸¹

Age: 4| Weight: 10-8| J: J J Slevin| T: J P O'Brien| OR: 116| D

5/1

Proved himself to be a reasonably useful juvenile when edging out Mitchouka at Thurles in October, and we can ignore his Cheltenham effort in October (vastly outclassed). Into open company now at the age of four, so will he be streetwise enough?

Form: 3136

Randalls Ur Poet¹⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 10-6| J: M J Bolger| T: S Fahey| OR: 114

7/2

No knocking him for a string of consistent efforts; 3,12,3,2,3,2,3 since September 2017, but frustratingly for connections there's still no '1' to add to that sequence. Closely matched with Love And Wishes on Naas form latest.

Form: 032323

Non-Runners

Icario¹⁷

Weight: 11-9| Age: 5

T: G Elliott J: D N Russell

Forecasts

Randalls Ur Poet (7/2), Icario (7/2), Monotype (4/1), Love And Wishes (9/2), Apparition (5/1), Chesterfield King (11/2), Imperial Way (10/1), Penance (12/1), Bracklin Princess (33/1), Slievenamon (40/1)

Not the easiest of novice contests to solve, with the reasonably talented juvenile Apparition making an appearance over hurdles for the first time outside of his own age group. His in-form trainer Joseph O'Brien is also responsible for saddling Imperial Way. MONOTYPE has a penalty to carry for his Limerick success, and heads the weights (120-rated), but he ran very well for a long way over 2m4f at Navan last month, and will surely appreciate both the drop back in trip and the ease in grade. Therefore, he ranks as a tentative selection in another contest where stakes are best kept to a minimum.