MORE TO COME FROM HALKA
Tabert can shatter Diamond’s hopes
HALKA Du Tabert should be tough to beat in today’s Grade 3 Awardsandgifts.ie Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle in Fairyhouse.
Winner of a point-topoint, a bumper and a maiden hurdle, the six-yearold is owned by Kenny Alexander, who has already won the race with the mighty Honeysuckle and Minella Melody, and will have to master two strong contenders from Closutton if she’s to give Elliott a first win in the race since Shattered Love triumphed back in 2017.
The daughter of Balko won her ‘point’ in Borris House before being bought for a whopping £260,000 and, on her racecourse debut, in a Naas bumper in November, had to knuckle down to get the better of Coole Cherry and subsequent scorer Gaillimh A Run.
Built to be a chaser, Halka Du Tabert blossomed when tackling hurdles for the first time in Naas a few days before Christmas.
Ridden then by Jack Kennedy, she made virtually all and powered up the hill to slam Eabha Grace by 11 lengths, form boosted when the runner-up justified long odds-on favouritism in a weak maiden hurdle at Punchestown last week.
And stepping-up in trip should bring about further improvement from this lightly-raced mare, the mount of Davy Russell.
Willie Mullins runs both dual hurdle-winner Saylavee and Ashroe Diamond, a listed bumper winner at Aintree last April and successful on her hurdling bow at Naas in November.
Since then, the Walk In The Park mare has earned valuable Grade 1 black type, ridden sympathetically by Patrick Mullins, to fill third spot behind Marine Nationale in the Royal Bond and to Facile Vega at Leopardstown over Christmas, when beaten only nine lengths.
That sort of form entitles Ashroe Diamond to start favourite today. But I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Halka Du Tabert yet and she gets the vote.
Daryl Jacob is travelling over to partner Bronn, difficult to oppose and set to give Willie Mullins a milestone 4,000th success, in the three-runner opener.
Winner of a Grade 2 novice hurdle at this venue last Easter, his second success over flights, he also finished fourth to stablecompanion The Nice Guy in a Grade 1 at Punchestown.
And he ran a cracker on his chasing debut over this course and distance back in mid-november, staying on to be beaten less than three lengths by Gerri Colombe, who went on to triumph at Grade 1 level at Limerick over Christmas.
Bronn looks a stand-out here and might spark a double for Mullins, whose Parmenion, is expected to improve significantly on his hurdling bow defeat at Leopardstown, in the Kedrah House Stud Maiden Hurdle.