Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAKING GAME LOOK EASY
BY PETER O’HEHIR
IN-FORM Easy Game is impossible to oppose in the Goodenough2eat Banqueting Chase, the finale on tomorrow’s jumps card in Tramore.
Willie Mullins, a director at the track, has brought plenty of stars and potential stars to Tramore in recent years, most notably his recently-retired, dual Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Al Boum Photo, a four-time winner at the track.
So it is not surprising the champion trainer is targeting tomorrow’s conditions event with this solid eight-year-old whose eight wins over fences have included three at Grade 2 level, two of them in the Devenish Chase at the Easter meeting in Fairyhouse.
Easy Game’s novice form, in the 2019-2020 season, included a defeat of this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Allaho in a beginners at Punchestown and a close second to the mighty Faugheen in a Grade 1 novice at Leopardstown.
And the selection has been in excellent fettle in recent months, reeling off a hat-trick, initiated when beating stable-companion Cilaos Emery in the Devenish at Fairyhouse.
In mid-may, he overcame recently retired stable-companion Melon in the An Riocht (Grade 3) in Killarney.
On a more recent visit to the Kingdom, 1/6 shot Easy Game readily brushed aside Born By The Sea, rated 24lb inferior to him and receiving just 10lb, in a conditions event in Listowel.
Tomorrow, Easy Game should prove too strong for Henry de Bromhead’s Notebook, a Grade 1 winner twice as a novice, but below that level last season – a well-beaten third behind Allaho and Fakir D’oudairies at Thurles in June and behind Sizing Pottsie at Navan in March before unseating Rachael Blackmore when well-beaten in an Aintree handicap in April.
A dual-winner over hurdles, the Gordon Elliott-trained Dartington might be capable of conceding weight to his five rivals in the Tote Guarantee On All Win Bets Novice Hurdle.
This 122-rated gelding has scored at Navan and Wexford, beating Mind Your Money on the latter occasion and gets the nod over Andy Mcnamara’s four-year-old, a smooth, all-the-way winner in Roscommon last time and set to receive 10lb – plus Paddy O’hanlon’s 5lb claim, from the selection.
Placed in two point-to-points for Aidan Fitzgerald and making his rules debut for Willie Mullins, Dragon Rock is interesting in the SP Or Better Guaranteed Maiden Hurdle in which he’ll receive 8lb from the two bumper winners in the field.
But marginal preference is for Eugene O’sullivan’s Meetingofthewaters, winner of a Downpatrick bumper on his penultimate start and, last time, an encouraging third behind Toss Again and Noble Birth (a long odds-on winner in Perth on Thursday) on his hurdling bow in Ballinrobe.