Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Guinness is a stout contender
LIGHTLY-RACED Captain Guinness looks an exciting chasing recruit and is expected to make a successful start over the bigger obstacles in today’s Cashel Beginners Chase in Tipperary.
The Henry de Bromheadtrained five-year-old has raced only three times, scoring at 20/1 on his debut in a maiden hurdle in
Navan, when, upsides Blackbow, he was left in command at the final flight after his rival crashed.
Stepped into Grade 2 company for his second start in the Moscow Flyer at Punchestown, he ran a stormer to be beaten threequarters of a length by hot-pot Andy Dufresne.
On his third and most recent outing, Captain Guinness held every chance before he was unluckily brought down at the second last in the Supreme Novices, won by Shishkin, at Cheltenham.
Rachael Blackmore’s mount is sure to be wellschooled and is expected to triumph in a fascinating race, in which the Mcmanus pair Unexcepted and Entoucas – plus Peter Fahey’s Soviet Pimpernel – are worth watching.
Earlier, the Fahey-trained Visionarian, impressive on his recent debut at Gowran Park, might upstage his more experienced rivals in the Junction Rated Novice Hurdle.
Meanwhile, in Fairyhouse, Aidan Howard’s Thefaithfulindian, a very easy winner at the Curragh last week and 12lb ‘well-in’ under a mandatory penalty, and with Colin Keane again in the saddle, is difficult to oppose in the second division of the fairyhouse.ie Handicap.
Disappointing on Dundalk’s polytrack last time, but boasting good earlier form behind the likes of Angel Palm and Sense Of Style, Friendly might strike in the Ballyhane Stud 2-Y-0 Fillies Maiden for Aidan O’brien and Seamus Heffernan, who were successful with the impressive Roman Empire in Gowran Park yesterday.