‘Peregrine’ primed for back-to-back glory
PEREGRINE RUN is one of the most likeable horses in training and Peter Fahey’s 10-year-old looks primed to take the Grade Three Boylesports An Riocht Chase for the second year running at Killarney today.
Six go to post with none of the sextet dismissed lightly but crucially,
Peregrine Run (6.0, Killarney) has the benefit of a run having brushed off the cobwebs with a pleasing display on the Flat at Limerick last week and he can score for the 17th time in his stellar career under the guidance of regular pilot Kevin Sexton.
Pat Doyle’s Kaiser Black brings Grade One form to the table but was tailed off on his last start in the Red Mills Chase earlier this season – his first start after nearly a year off the track – so it may be wiser to take a watching brief, while
Robin Des Foret is expected to fight out the finish for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend.
Mullins and Townend also hold leading claims in the Bourn Vincent Memorial Handicap Chase with the unexposed mare Contingency two from two over fences.
The seven-year-old looks open to huge improvement at this stage of her chasing career but experience may catch her out this time around against some battle-hardened types with Henry de Bromhead’s Jan Maat (6.30, Killarney) tipped to score .
A comfortable Grade Three scorer at Punchestown last October, Jan Maat travelled well until the second last in the Grand Annual at the Cheltenham Festival in March before fading up the hill but the seven-year-old should find this more to his liking under Rachael Blackmore.
Flat fans will also get their fix at Roscommon with a seven-race card headed by the Listed Lenebane Stakes where Pondus will carry much support having made a pleasing debut for Joseph O’Brien when just touched off in a Listed event at Limerick three weeks ago.
Ger Lyons’ Heliac had a neck to spare over Jack Davison’s Fresnel when taking a similar prize at Leopardstown last month with that pair also in the mix but preference is for Dermot Weld’s three-year-old Katiba (3.30, Roscommon).
The daughter of Footstepsinthesand is a strong travelling type and having been far from disgraced when eighth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, she delivered a cracking run when third in a decent affair at the Curragh behind Aidan O’Brien’s Napa Valley. With age and sex allowances in her favour, she may be the one to side with at bigger prices in an open affair as Oisín Orr’s mount embarks on her fifth career start.