12:30 Limerick

Saturday 28 December 2019

All12:3013:0513:4014:1514:5015:2515:55

Future Ticketing Maiden Hurdle

Off time: 12:30 | Winning time: 4m 16.2s

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Selected odds by:

Dont Quit^h¹⁰²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-12| J: C Brassil⁽⁵⁾| T: J T Gorman

66/1

Below-par efforts over the summer on the Flat for the 52-rated handicapper. Well held on sole start over hurdles.

Form: 8/

Happy Company²⁰

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: A McCurtin⁽⁵⁾| T: P J F Hassett

66/1

Useful 60-rated handicapper on the Flat but well held in a number of starts over the summer. Down the field on both hurdle starts so far and hard to see where improvement is coming from.

Form: 60

Hard Times¹⁶⁸

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: R P Treacy⁽⁵⁾| T: F Costello

100/1

Modest 46-rated Flat handicapper on the Flat for numerous handlers. Market likely to reveal expectations on hurdling introduction.

Form:

Hybery³⁸⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: M P Fogarty| T: W P Mullins

3/1

Gelding by Centennial out of a Ballingarry mare. French import, likely to be popular in the market on debut for leading yard.

Form: 1-

Scully's Dream³⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 11-12| J: M J Bolger| T: James Andrew Fahey| D

50/1

Point winner, and successful on second bumper start in June 2017 at Kilbeggan for Seamus Fahey. Well held when never a factor on return to action at Navan recently. Others preferred.

Form: 171/0

Captain Jimmy²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: D J McInerney| T: P G Kelly

50/1

Gold Well gelding. Never a factor on disappointing maiden hurdle debut over 2m½f at Galway in October before pulling up when detached on latest start at this venue over 2m4f on St Stephens Day.

Form: 10P

Ennemi Public⁵⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: E O'Connell⁽⁷⁾| T: G Elliott

10/1

Network gelding. Fair form in bumpers translated well to hurdles when 3/18 in similar event at Clonmel at the end of October. Worth a market check as post time approaches.

Form: 476-3

Exciting Oscar²⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: Mr B Dunleavy⁽⁷⁾| T: D Ahern

25/1

Gelding by Oscar out of a Flemensfirth mare. Not much to shout about in a couple of initial maiden hurdle spins in the last month. Plenty to prove at present.

Form: 54/2-50

General Counsel²⁵¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: B Hayes| T: W P Mullins

4/1

Shantou gelding. Dam a decent 2m hurdle winner, half-sister to fairly useful hurdler/chaser Joe Cullen who stayed 2m4f. Encouraging debut finishing second of 18 beaten ½L behind Sneaky Getaway at Cork when last seen in April.

Form: 2-

Jason The Militant³⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: H Morgan⁽⁷⁾| T: H De Bromhead

4/1

Sans Frontieres gelding out of a Desert King mare. Third of 14 behind Envoi Allen in a bumper here in December last year over 2m on good ground. Second of 10 behind Unexpected at Fairyhouse last month and likely to improve on that effort here.

Form: 3-2

Scotsman's Bay¹¹³

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: C P McNamara⁽⁷⁾| T: E McNamara

66/1

Only mediocre efforts since coming back from a 11 month break in a couple of starts, both at Kilbeggan in August/September. Will need to raise overall profile to play a role here.

Form: 3360-06

You Can Call Me Al^h²¹

Age: 5| Weight: 11-4| J: J S McGarvey| T: E J O'Grady| OR: 121

6/4

Running with plenty of credit in a couple of starts over hurdles in the last six weeks. Likely to improve and worthy of consideration.

Form: 43-35

Blanketontheground³⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 10-11| J: P T Enright| T: J J Walsh| OR: 95

66/1

Mixed messages in a number of starts over hurdles since July. More consistency required and remains easy to oppose in this company.

Form: 4R-5346

Henry's Dream¹²⁴¹

Age: 8| Weight: 10-11| J: C A Landers⁽⁵⁾| T: F Feeney

100/1

Absent since pulling up on heavy ground in a Sligo 2m2f bumper over three years ago. Others make more appeal on her return from a length absence.

Form: P/

Royal Alto⁶¹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-11| J: T Ryan⁽⁷⁾| T: V T O'Brien

100/1

Lightly raced, 45-rated handicapper on the Flat. Makes hurdling debut. Infrequent visits to the track will not be helping the gelding to progress in the game.

Form:

Yeat's Encore^t1²¹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-11| J: I J McCarthy| T: Mrs Y Dunleavy

100/1

Daughter of Yeats. In rear for most of the way, weakening before three out to finishing 55L adrift of the winner of a Thurles maiden hurdle last month before a similar story at Navan earlier this month.

Form: 00

Non-Runners

Sao Paulo²⁰

Weight: 11-4| Age: 5

T: M Hourigan J: T P Queally

The Grey Panther²⁶⁰

Weight: 11-4| Age: 7

T: S J Mahon J: C J Orr

Forecasts

You Can Call Me Al (6/4), Hybery (3/1), Jason The Militant (4/1), General Counsel (4/1), Ennemi Public (10/1), Exciting Oscar (25/1), Captain Jimmy (50/1), Scully's Dream (50/1), Sao Paulo (50/1), Blanketontheground (66/1), Happy Company (66/1), Scotsman's Bay (66/1), Dont Quit (66/1), The Grey Panther (66/1), Yeat's Encore (100/1), Hard Times (100/1), Royal Alto (100/1), Henry's Dream (100/1)

Willie Mullins has a couple of winners on the board in the first two days of this meeting and his Shantou gelding GENERAL COUNSEL can add to that tally in the opener. The lightly raced six-year-old can get the better of stablemate and French import Hybery. You Can Call Me Al has been running with plenty of credit in defeat recently and can compete for remaining prize money with the Henry De Bromhead-trained Jason The Militant and Ennemi Public in the colours of Gigginstown House Stud for trainer Gordon Elliott.