15:25 Leopardstown

Sunday 3 March 2024

All13:4014:1514:5015:2516:0016:3517:07

Anton O'Toole Handicap Hurdle (80-109)

Off time: 15:25 | Winning time: 4m 4.4s

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Selected odds by:

Clever Currency^p,t²²

Age: 7| Weight: 12-0| J: B P Kennedy⁽⁷⁾| T: P W Flynn| OR: 109| CD

14/1

Latest win in chase at Sligo in September. Below-par seventh of 10 in handicap hurdle at Naas (15.8f, heavy, 9/1) 22 days ago. Cheekpieces refitted so no surprise to see last year's winner of this bounce back.

Form: 421297

Poets Cottage⁶⁶

Age: 5| Weight: 11-12| J: N J Ryan⁽⁷⁾| T: N Meade| OR: 107

16/1

50/1, seventeenth of 21 in handicap hurdle at this course (20f, heavy) 66 days ago. Needs a couple of these to falter.

Form: 346-360

Milk Market¹¹³

Age: 5| Weight: 11-9| J: M P Walsh| T: P Roche| OR: 104

12/1

Thrice-raced maiden. 15/2, sixth of 15 in novice hurdle at Gowran (16f, heavy) 113 days ago. Booking of Walsh a plus. Makes handicap hurdle debut. Open to improvement.

Form: 0-46

Quite Incredible²⁵

Age: 8| Weight: 11-8| J: C D Maxwell| T: D A McLoughlin| OR: 103

28/1

Eleventh of 16 in handicap hurdle (33/1) at Fairyhouse (19.8f, heavy) 25 days ago. Others appeal more.

Form: P4P770

Clear The Clouds^t²¹

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: K M Donoghue| T: G P Cromwell| OR: 99| BF

4/1

4/1, creditable third of 15 in handicap hurdle at Navan (22f, heavy) 21 days ago. Down in trip. Yard in good form. Should go well again.

Form: 5-45363

Magic Olinger⁷⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-4| J: R A Doyle| T: G Keane| OR: 99| BF

11/1

3/1, very good fourth of 12 in handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse (16.1f, heavy) 78 days ago. Can do better still so he's a player with that form working out well.

Form: 9-09694

Gamigin^p,t⁶⁸

Age: 6| Weight: 11-3| J: G Brouder⁽⁵⁾| T: N C Kelly| OR: 98| D

10/3

Thriving and arrives on a hat-trick after stylish wins at Ayr and in 19-runner handicap hurdle at Down Royal (17f, soft) 68 days ago. Big shout despite taking an 8 lb hike in the weights.

Form: 043911

Diamond Dollar³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: P Byrnes⁽⁵⁾| T: C Byrnes| OR: 96

25/1

Lightly-raced maiden. Pulled up in handicap hurdle (33/1) at Gowran (16f, heavy) 38 days ago, behind when pulled up before 2 out. Plenty to find on form.

Form: 007P

Inchiquin Maid⁸⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 11-1| J: B Hayes| T: D Budds| OR: 96

80/1

Lightly-raced maiden. 20/1, tenth of 15 in handicap hurdle at Clonmel (16.2f, heavy) 87 days ago. Can give a good account if shrugging off latest effort.

Form: 5-530

Petit Dejeuner²²

Age: 6| Weight: 11-0| J: J Coen⁽⁵⁾| T: Mrs D Foster| OR: 95| D

25/1

Winner in hurdle at Limerick in November. 10/1, last of 10 in handicap hurdle at Naas (15.8f, heavy) 22 days ago so needs to get back on track.

Form: 0-85100

Dream Escape⁴⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-12| J: J B Foley| T: T Mullins| OR: 93

20/1

Fair Flat winner. Thrice-raced maiden over hurdles. Tenth of 22 in novice hurdle (200/1) at Punchestown (16.7f, soft) 49 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut. Should progress.

Form: 080

Tuckmill⁸⁰

Age: 8| Weight: 10-12| J: Sam Ewing| T: Peter Fahey| OR: 93| D

11/1

1 win from 1 run this season. Improved to win 15-runner handicap hurdle (9/1) at Naas (16f, soft) 80 days ago, just holding on. Firmly in the picture.

Form: 10/66P-1

The Lucky Lobster^t1³⁸

Age: 5| Weight: 10-11| J: S Fitzgerald| T: D Queally| OR: 92

8/1

80/1, fair eighth of 18 in handicap hurdle at Gowran (16f, heavy) 38 days ago. Tongue strap on for 1st time with more required if he's to gain a maiden victory.

Form: U0P688

Miss Gherkin³⁹

Age: 5| Weight: 10-8| J: J C Gainford| T: P Croke| OR: 89

16/1

Eleventh of 14 in novice hurdle (66/1) at Fairyhouse (20f, heavy) 39 days ago. Still much respected on her handicap hurdle debut.

Form: 50-7400

Ivane⁴⁰

Age: 6| Weight: 10-6| J: E Walsh| T: Ciaran Murphy| OR: 87

11/1

Visored for 1st time, below-form sixth of 14 in handicap chase at Down Royal (20.4f, heavy, 11/2) on debut over fences 40 days ago. Switches from chase to hurdles. Back down in trip. Unreliable type.

Form: 418676

Ballerina Boxer⁷

Age: 6| Weight: 10-5| J: B W Harvey| T: D Harvey| OR: 86

80/1

First run since leaving John McConnell when sixteenth of 25 in novice hurdle (250/1) at Naas (15.6f, heavy) 7 days ago. Makes handicap hurdle debut. Easy to look elsewhere.

Form: 847UF0

Sunwalk^t⁶³

Age: 6| Weight: 10-3| J: C G O'Dwyer⁽⁵⁾| T: S Neville| OR: 84

50/1

Eleventh of 22 in handicap hurdle at Punchestown (16.7f, heavy, 28/1) 63 days ago. Others more persuasive.

Form: 00-PP50

Papa Barns¹⁰⁰

Age: 7| Weight: 10-0| J: P M O'Brien⁽⁷⁾| T: Tom Dreaper| OR: 81| BF

12/1

Unreliable sort. 10/3, tenth of 14 in handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse (23.5f, heavy) 100 days ago. Significantly back down in trip with work to do. RESERVE

Form: 00-P340

Non-Runners

Coillte Aris⁵²

Weight: 10-10| Age: 6

T: Stephen Gerard Carey J: J J Slevin

Forecasts

Gamigin (10/3), Clear The Clouds (4/1), The Lucky Lobster (8/1), Coillte Aris (10/1), Magic Olinger (11/1), Ivane (11/1), Tuckmill (11/1), Papa Barns (12/1), Milk Market (12/1), Clever Currency (14/1), Miss Gherkin (16/1), Poets Cottage (16/1), Dream Escape (20/1), Diamond Dollar (25/1), Petit Dejeuner (25/1), Quite Incredible (28/1), Sunwalk (50/1), Ballerina Boxer (80/1), Inchiquin Maid (80/1)

GAMIGIN has an 8 lb weights rise to overcome but Noel Kelly's thriving 6-y-o is still fancied to complete a hat-trick given the smoothness of his two successes at Ayr and Down Royal. The much less exposed Magic Olinger has better days ahead of him and heads the list of dangers, although a solid case can also be made for the likes of Coillte Aris, Clear The Clouds and Milk Market.