12:25 Limerick

Thursday 27 December 2018

All12:2513:0013:3014:0514:4015:1515:45

Goggin Buckley Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 12:25 | Winning time: 4m 12.5s

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Selected odds by:

Earl Of Bunnacurry⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: G N Fox| T: G P Cromwell

40/1

Pair of AW wins in Britain last month, both off a mark of 52. Well beaten for former yard in a couple of maiden hurdles in May when sent off a 100/1 on both occasions. Market likely to be best guide.

Form: 00

Eclair De Beaufeu¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: K M Donoghue| T: G Elliott

5/2

Promising runs in defeat when hitting the frame on each of his four hurdle starts since last month. Yard have had five winners at this meeting in the last three years and overall boast a 49% win and place strike rate.

Form: 11-3233

Keep Believing⁷³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: R A Doyle⁽⁵⁾| T: B Nolan

50/1

Modest 63-rated handicapper on the Flat and unlikely to play a part in the finish on hurdle introduction here.

Form:

Poseidon⁴³⁰

Age: 4| Weight: 11-7| J: C A Landers⁽⁵⁾| T: C Byrnes

16/1

Winning handicapper on the Flat for trainer Ed Walker before joining current connections. Yard have had three winners at this meeting in the last three years and overall boast a 50% win and place strike rate.

Form:

At The Acorn²⁵⁶

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: L Quinlan⁽⁷⁾| T: A J Martin

6/1

Point-to-point winner over 3m in April. Market to reveal expectations on hurdling debut for yard who are just five from 86 this season.

Form: 1-

Drifting Back²⁸³

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: R P Treacy⁽³⁾| T: E McNamara

25/1

Outran 33/1 odds when third in a heavy ground Limerick bumper in March on debut. That showed he has the ability to win races but may find this a tough assignment here.

Form: 3-

Encore Lui¹⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: L P Dempsey| T: Miss E Doyle

25/1

Plenty to take out of a fifth of 20 beaten 27L on the geldings hurdling debut last month before disappointing at the same track earlier this month when 81L adrift of the winner over 2m. Vast improvement needed.

Form: 50

Envious Editor¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: R M Power| T: Mrs J Harrington| BF

11/10

Aizavoski gelding, cost £195,000 earlier this year after point-to-point win. Needs to rediscover the form of his short-head defeat at Naas last month.

Form: 15-26

Felicity's Choice²⁵

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: R Loughran| T: J Dullea

100/1

Mahler gelding, half-brother to 2m hurdle/chase winner Eyesopenwideawake. Beaten 88L on debut in a Fairyhouse bumper earlier this month. Very little to be positive about.

Form: 0

Lovely Carrig¹²

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: P T Enright| T: E O'Grady

33/1

Beat Hollow gelding out of a Danehill mare. Cost €36,000 as a three-year-old. Nothing of note in a couple of maiden hurdle starts to date and others preferred.

Form: 05

Mcgill^t1¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: J P O'Sullivan⁽⁷⁾| T: P J Rothwell

100/1

Well beaten and no impression on maiden hurdle debut at Navan earlier this month. First time tongue-tie unlikely to bring about the required amount of improvement needed to play a role here.

Form: 0

Salsomajory²¹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: C P McNamara⁽⁷⁾| T: E McNamara

100/1

By Scorpion out of a Fourstars Allstar mare. Beaten over 100L on debut at Clonmel earlier this month in a 2m4f maiden hurdle. Hard to fancy.

Form: 0

Skypunch¹⁸

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: D P Holden⁽⁷⁾| T: L Young

100/1

Gelding by Hannouma out of a Kris mare. Failed to finish in a couple of point-to-point starts in the spring before being tailed off on maiden hurdle debut at Cork earlier this month.

Form: PP-0

Trogir¹⁹

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: S J Gray⁽³⁾| T: E J O'Grady

100/1

Son of Arcadio out of a mare who ran three times under rules, unfancied and never much of a factor on both starts to date. Looks a tall order on form shown.

Form: 00

Vinnwarr^h²⁷

Age: 4| Weight: 11-2| J: K J Brouder⁽⁷⁾| T: C Byrnes

10/1

Plenty to like about the geldings two starts at Thurles and more recently here last month brings him in to the equation. Yard have had three winners at this meeting in the last three years and overall boast a 50% win and place strike rate.

Form: F043

Johanna Yeats

Age: 4| Weight: 10-9| J: A W Short⁽³⁾| T: J J Walsh

33/1

Filly by Yeats out of a Shernazar mare. Yard have had four winners at this meeting in the last three years and overall boast a 19% win and place strike rate. Worth a market check on debut.

Form:

Romella

Age: 4| Weight: 10-9| J: S A Shortall| T: J J Walsh

40/1

Milan filly out of a Definite Article mare. Yard have a good record at this meeting since 2015 boasting a 19% win and place strike rate.

Form:

Soft Focus^t²¹²

Age: 4| Weight: 10-9| J: I J McCarthy| T: M Brassil

100/1

San Frontieres filly out of a Arctic Lord mare. 62L adrift of the winner on debut in a Ballinrobe bumper when last seen in May. Any market move should be noted.

Form: 0

Non-Runners

Helly Hansum³²

Weight: 10-9| Age: 4

T: D Hogan J: Reserve 1

Diol Ker²⁵

Weight: 11-2| Age: 4

T: N Meade J: Reserve 2

Automatic¹⁸

Weight: 11-2| Age: 4

T: W J Burke J: Reserve 3

Forecasts

Envious Editor (11/10), Eclair De Beaufeu (5/2), At The Acorn (6/1), Vinnwarr (10/1), Diol Ker (10/1), Poseidon (16/1), Drifting Back (25/1), Encore Lui (25/1), Automatic (25/1), Lovely Carrig (33/1), Johanna Yeats (33/1), Helly Hansum (33/1), Earl Of Bunnacurry (40/1), Romella (40/1), Keep Believing (50/1), Skypunch (100/1), Soft Focus (100/1), Salsomajory (100/1), Trogir (100/1), Mcgill (100/1), Felicity's Choice (100/1)

Trainer Gordon Elliott looks to have found an ideal opportunity for the Gigginstown House Stud-owned ECLAIR DE BEAUFEU to open his account in the opener here. The four-year-old can build on his four solid starts since last month and see off the attentions of Envious Editor from the Jessica Harrington yard and the Charles Byrnes newcomer, Poseidon.