HELVIC CAN LEAVE RIVALS RY AND DRY
BY
PETER O’HEHIR
TAKE a chance on classy novice Helvic Dream on his handicap debut in the today’s Fairyhouse feature, the €100,000 Rybo Handicap Hurdle.
It’s the first stage of the County Meath track’s traditional three-day Easter meeting – highlighted by the Boylesports Irish Grand National on Monday – with ground conditions described as heavy, which won’t help the Noel Meade-trained Helvic Dream, the mount of Cheltenham hero Sam Ewing.
A high-class flat performer, having bagged the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh in May 2021, one of five wins on the level which saw him reach a career-high mark of 116, which puts his initial hurdle mark of 125 into context.
The seven-year-old has run four times over hurdles, showing promise in hot maidens at Fairyhouse (fifth behind Firefox and the season’s outstanding novice Ballyburn) and Leopardstown (fifth to King Of Kingsfield) before opening his account at Navan in mid February, when he recovered from a blunder at the final flight and got up late to beat subsequent maiden winner Angostura.
Last time, Meade’s charge contested a Grade 3 novice at Naas but, having made a couple of mistakes, was outpaced between the last two flights before plugging on to finish fourth, beaten 10 lengths behind smart mare Fun Fun Fun. Despite his relative inexperience, Helvic Dream is stepping into handicap company off a very realistic mark and is expected to go close before reverting to a flat campaign in group company. Disappointing when sent off 4/1 favourite for Cheltenham’s Coral Cup, the Martin Brassil-trained Built By Ballymore is bidding for compensation in the INH Stallion Owners EBF Novice Handicap Chase over just short of three miles.
The dual-winner, a dour stayer, has obvious claims here, if fully recovered, and gets the vote over the Willie Mullins (inset) trained Olympic Man, an impressive maiden winner in Naas three weeks ago but needing to brush-up his hurdling technique.
Anthony Mccann’s Familiar Dreams bids for a hat-trick, under top-weight, in the listed mares bumper, with Aine O’connor again on board.
But I prefer Jonathan Sweeney’s Barnahash Primrose, a winner on debut at Limerick’s Christmas meeting before finishing a close third behind Fleur Au Fusil in a Grade 2 contest at Leopardstown last month.
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