Benie Des to take centrestage

BANK on Benie Des Dieux to retain her unbeaten record over fences in today’s BBA Ireland Ltd, Opera Hat Mares Chase in Naas.

The listed feature of a seven-race card, the Opera Hat has attracted a small but select field, with Gordon Elliott’s

a Grade 2 winner this season, clashing with the Willie Mullinstrained pair

and

Although probably better-suited by a longer trip than today’s two miles, I expect Benie Des Dieux to prove herself a potential star.

Successful on the flat and twice, from six starts, over hurdles in her native France, this seven-year-old has raced once in Ireland, when bolting-up at Limerick’s Christmas 2016 meeting, making most of the running, jumping superbly, coasting home a 30 lengths winner from Leaders Questions.

We didn’t see Benie Des Dieux for almost a year after that victory. And, sent off an odds-on favourite again, she produced another impressive display to beat Tacenda easily in a listed mares event at Carlisle in early December.

The selection likes to bowl along, jumps with admirable exuberance and, clearly suited by testing conditions, she’ll be tough to beat today.

Coming back after a minor hold-up around Christmas time, she faces a tough rival in Dinaria Des Obeaux, winner of three of her five chase starts and a creditable fourth behind stable-companion Death Duty in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse in early December.

Dinaria Des Obeaux has registered her chase wins at Wexford, Clonmel and Thurles, on the latter occasion beating Magic Of Light convincingly in the Grade 2. And her two defeats came in Grade 1 company, in the Drinmore and the three-miler, won by stable-companion Shattered Love at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Although a smart mare in her own right, Dinaria Des Obeaux will struggle to keep tabs on Benie today, when the selection’s stable-companion Asthuria might also come into the equation, having scored over this course and distance five weeks ago, on her second start over the bigger obstacles.

In what promises to be a fascinating battle, and in the belief Benie Des Dieux is significantly better than her rating of 142, the Mullins mare gets the vote to prove her class and, perhaps, book her ticket to Cheltenham.

Formerly trained by Sir Mark Prescott,

tired in the closing stages when beaten 17 lengths by Scarpeta on his hurdling debut at Gowran Park recently.

Elliott’s charge should improve from that run and gets the nod over the Mullins runner fifth in Golden Horn’s Epson Derby in 2015 but beaten at odds-on on his hurdling bow in Limerick, in the Paddy Hackett Memorial Maiden Hurdle.