DREAPER’S DOUBLE UP
Goonyella, De Mai in Naas mix
CORK jockey Jonathan Burke celebrates hi s recovery from a Thurl e s neck injury tomorrow at Naas aboard Jim Dreaper’s Goonyella after riding work both over jumps and on the flat without any illeffects in the past week.
Indeed the youthful Burke fully participated last Tuesday when his main employer Henry de Bromhead gave their in-form Waterford stable’s fancied Cheltenham-bound contingent final serious spins away from the public gaze.
Contracted to the Ann and Alan Potts partnership, Burke, who suffered two minor fractures five weeks ago, has elected now for just that single mount in their colours for the featured Leinster National at the Kildare track where substantial investment in drainage works has been paying dividends again this winter.
While today’s Gowran Park card survived ye s t e r day afternoon’s inspection, Naas manager Tom Ryan had no worries all week about their prospects of staging this varied programme that could see the Potts family still taking the Leinster National spoils with Dreaper’s other runner Venitien De Mai.
Victorious early last month at Down Royal from Futuramic which re - opposes f or their handicap debuts here, Venitien De Mai looks to be competing off a fair mark and has his burden eased too by Jonathan Moore’s valuable 5lb claim as t op weight Gallant Oscar attempts a repeat of his win in the 2014 renewal.
Earlier in the session spectators could witness some equally competitive fare both in the opening Kingsfurze Novice Hurdle for the Irish Racing Writers trophy and as Rule The World heads a Gigginstown House Stud-owned trio that may well dominate the Directors Novice Chase at Grade Three level.
Lord Windermere j ustified favouritism in this Listed opener in 2012 before claiming the Cheltenham Gold Cup two years on and fans of current top novice Min will be particularly interested to find out whether his Punchestown victims earlier this winter, Gurteen and Attribution, manage to give that form another boost.
Bryan Cooper, however, prefers Thurles maiden scorer Bur- gas here to Attribution which competes off a mark of 135, suggesting they could struggle to cope with Robert Tyner’s nap selection Gurteen on his quest for a mixed hat-trick after leading in the pack behind Min on his jumping debut at Punchestown on December 10.
Barry Connell’s costly acquisition Golantilla, which opened his chasing account with aplomb at Killarney last August, encounters a much more testing surface when squaring up to the Michael O’Leary- owned Rule The World, Tell Us More and Sub Lieutenant in the Naas directors-backed promotion.
Fifth to My Murphy in the allaged Goffs Thyestes Chase, Rule The World previously wasn’t disgraced behind No More Heroes at Leopardstown after Christmas and his current rating of 148 indicates Cooper’s mount can belatedly get off the mark over fences by containing recent Navan casualty Te l l Us More and Golantilla.
A tricky handicap then forms the first leg of the Jackpot and investors will probably be concentrating on the likes of Liz Doyle’s multiple winner Last Goodbye and Gurteen’s less exposed stable companion Fairly Legal, whose immediate course maiden hurdle victim Call It Magic could prove banker material under Ruby Walsh an hour later.