QUIET READY TO MAKE A BIG NOISE
ALL’S QUIET must be strongly-fancied in today’s Listowel feature, the Guinness Handicap. The six-year-old looked a progressive individual when bolting-up in a recent rated hurdle in Roscommon and, reverting to the flat, must have a great chance of bagging this valuable pot for Ado Mcguinness and owner Dan Daly. Winner of a flag maiden in Ballinrobe in July, All’s Quiet didn’t enjoy the best of luck in the handicap won by Magna Cartor at the Galway Festival, but was doing his best work late when finishing fifth. He reappeared two days later in Galway and, keen early, could finish only ninth behind Top Othe Ra in a handicap hurdle. After a short break, the Westerner gelding was never out of second gear when beating Orgilgo Bay and Roachdale House, over hurdles in Roscommon. And, racing off a mark of 77, he must have a great chance. The Jim Bolger-trained Ringside Support, winner of a Curragh maiden, will have his supporters, along with Gordon Elliott’s Ibsen, expected to improve from his win in Tipperary, and top-weight Ted Veale, runner-up to The Game Changer over fences in Ballinrobe last time. Another appealing bet in a flat handicap is Damien English’s Tribal Path in the seven-furlong Bank Of Ireland Handicap. The tough and consistent seven-year-old finished a close third to Canary Row in this event last year. And he’s racing off a 5lb lower mark today. He relishes heavy ground, having won in testing conditions at Cork, Leopardstown and Bellewstown last year. And he proved his current well-being when beaten a half-length by Stenographer in Roscommon last time. He meets Jim Bolger’s charge on 3lb better terms here and, unless he gets involved in a pace-battle with Not A Bad Oul Day, Tribal Path and Shane Foley should be hard to catch. Dermot Weld’s So You Thought, fourth to Elusive Time in the recent Irish Cambridgeshire is another to note. The experienced, 123-rated Turbojet, returning after a break, sets the standard for Dermot Mcloughlin in the John J Galvin Maiden Hurdle, with Henry de Bromhead’s Aherlow the likely threat. And the Willie Mullins-trained Koroleva, which stayed on dourly when narrowly beaten by Optical Confusion on her debut in Killarney, is napped to land the mares bumper. The daughter of King’s Theatre, hooded today, should be very tough to beat and looks another likely winner for Patrick Mullins.