MAKING A BIG MARK
LEAVE Your Mark might continue the tremendous form of Joseph O’brien and Mark Walsh in the Cashel Maiden Hurdle at today’s rescheduled meeting in Thurles.
O’brien’s Latrobe was narrowly beaten at Flemington on Saturday, hours before Walsh completed a super treble for owner JP Mcmanus, on Rhinestone, Espoir D’allen and De Name Escapes Me, in Naas.
Yesterday, novice chaser Us And Them (J J Slevin) continued the winning run of O’brien’s yard in
Navan.
And, following a promising hurdling debut run at
Galway, Leave Your Mark looks another likely winner for the team today.
Unplaced in two bumper starts, this Oscar gelding raced close to the pace in Galway before finishing sixth, beaten 20 lengths, behind hot favourite Felix Desjy which, admittedly, flopped in the For Auction in Navan yesterday.
With improvement likely, Leave Your Mark might have the measure of Western Honour, having his first run for Gordon Elliott and Cheveley Park Stud.
Earlier, the experienced, 122-rated Mighty Stowaway sets the standard in the opening Munster Beginners Chase.
Unplaced in a handicap hurdle in Listowel, the seven-year-old’s previous run was in the Galway Blazers and a reproduction of his admittedly distant second to Robin Des Foret at Ballinrobe back in early May would probably suffice today.
Mighty Stowaway represents the combination of John ‘Shark’ Hanlon and Rachael Blackmore, which also has prospects with Whatsinthecorner in the Thurles Handicap Chase.
Up 7lb. for a convincing victory at Fairyhouse last week, the Michael Winters-trained Fintown Boy might follow-up in the Templemore Handicap Hurdle.
A bit of a late developer, the Golan gelding won well in Fairyhouse and might still have enough up his sleeve to go in again.
Successful over a short trip at this venue last Thursday, Charles O’brien’s Rain In Spain will be fancied to score again, despite top-weight, in the Urlingford Handicap Hurdle.
WILLIE Mullins has reported Footpad (inset) to be “very sore” in the wake of his last fence fall in the Poplar Square Chase in Naas on Saturday.
The trainer said: “He got a bang on his pastern and suffered an over-reach. It will only cost him a week or ten day and it shouldn’t change his plans.”
And he confirmed that Saldier, a last flight casualty in the Fishery Lane 4-Y-0 Hurdle, will undergo a CT scan today, having sustained a suspected broken bone in his nose.