MORE JOY FOR SAMCRO FANS

SAMCRO should get punters off to flyer in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle.

Gordon Elliott’s, above, unbeaten six-year-old has been odds-on for each of his starts, a point-to-point, three bumpers and three hurdles.

And, a short price again today, he must step up to the plate and live up to all the hype which has surrounded him over the last 18 months.

Successful on his hurdling bow at Punchestown, he then coasted to victory in the grade 3 Monksfield at Navan and, last time, was ultraimpressive in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

This fellow oozes class and looks as exciting a novice as we’ve seen for a very long time. Trust him to prove himself today, with the Willie Mullins runner Next Destination, a Grade 1 winner at Naas last time, his biggest threat.

Samcro’s stable-companion Cause Of Causes has excellent prospects of repeating last year’s win in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. He has Tiger Roll, winner of the National Hunt Chase last year, and The Last Samurai to beat.

The clash of Irish contenders Presenting Percy and Monalee in the RSA will be fascinating. And marginal preference is for last year’s Pertemps winner Presenting Percy, whose prep was completed with a solid second to Gold Cup hope Our Duke in the Red Mills at Gowran Park.

Prior to that solid effort, Percy had won the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle on the track. And he gets the nod over Henry de Bromhead’s charge, runner-up in the Albert Bartlett here last year and winner of the Flogas (Grade 1) at Leopardstown last time.

Mullins will saddle five in his quest for a ninth win in the bumper. And Patrick’s mount Blackbow might have the necessary combination of speed and stamina to do the trick.