Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CAN’T IGNOOR NJORD
HAVING come tantalisingly close in the COLM QUINN BMW Mile here on Tuesday, Jessica Harrington’s Njord makes plenty of appeal dropping in trip in the Ahonoora (Premier) Handicap at Galway tomorrow.
It took the judge a long time to split back-to-back winner Saltonstall and
Njord after the Mile. But Tom Madden’s mount came out the wrong side of a nose verdict, having hit the front off the home-turn before being nailed in the final stride.
A winner on this track in October and in the frame on all previous visits to Ballybrit, Njord hasn’t raced over this trip, seven furlongs, since scoring off 63 in May of last year.
But he has progressed well this season, winning a 10-furlong handicap to earn a 10lb hike and displayed on Tuesday his ability to lie up in a strongly-run race.
Still running off a mark of 98 (he went up to 104 for Tuesday’s run), and with stable-jockey Shane Foley taking over in the saddle, he should be a tough nut to crack.
Magnetic North and On A Session, fifth and sixth respectively in the Mile are in the field again and can’t be discounted as they bid to improve on their placings in this event last year.
Gerry Keane’s Laughifuwant overcame a high draw to triumph last year and, 8lb higher this time, makes his belated seasonal debut. Drawn high again, he’ll appreciate the soft ground and jockey Chris Hayes has won this race from a high draw in the past.
A big danger to all is Dermot Weld’s Jassaar, beaten a couple of heads by Could Be King and Geological in a recent, seven-furlong conditions event at Naas. This has been his target and, with first-time cheekpieces, he looks sure to run a big race.
Although not a frequent winner, the Mullins-trained Buildmeupbuttercup sets the standard in the six-runner JPK Fencing Race.
The six-year-old mare, winner of the amateur riders’ maiden here last year, was well-fancied for Thursday’s Guinness
Galway Hurdle but had to settle for fifth spot behind stable-companion Aramon.
If fully recovered from Thursday’s exploits, she might prove too strong for class-dropper Camphor, Bigbadandbeautiful and Tandem.