BRAVO BRAVE
Classy Wicklow looks good for five in a row
THE admirable Wicklow Brave can head a treble for Willie Mullins by landing the Grade 3 Horse & Jockey Hotel Hurdle at Tipperary this afternoon.
The former Irish St Leger winner has been in excellent form in recent months and comes chasing a five-timer.
In his last four races the nine-year-old has hardly broken sweat and this will be a tougher assignment but the high class dual purpose horse looks equal to the task.
His other form this year includes a good second to Joey Sasa in a Grade 3 hurdle over this course and distance in July.
Furthermore he chased home Supasundae in a Grade 1 at the Punchestown Festival in April.
A repeat of either of those runs should enable Wicklow Brave to see off the Galway Hurdle fourth and Grade 1-placed novice hurdler Bedrock.
In the Grade 3 novice hurdle Mullins fields three runners with Quick Grabim appealing as a likely winner.
This formerly smart bumper horse returned from a long break to win a Listowel maiden hurdle in good style last month.
He gave the impression that he would improve a good deal for Listowel and he looks like one that can hold his own in good company this winter.
The Mullins treble should be completed by Royal Rendezvous in the winners bumper. This six-year-old progressed from his debut to trounce his rivals in a Downpatrick bumper in August.
He looks as though he should be too strong for the Punchestown bumper winner Kalum River.
In the Group 3 Concorde Stakes the promising Imaging can make a successful return to action. Dermot Weld’s charge has been kept under wraps since winning the Tetrarch Stakes in May and he will be right at home on his favoured soft ground.
His biggest danger is the 2017 Concorde winner Psychedelic Funk (inset) who has been restricted to just one outing this year which came when he won the Group 3 Gladness Stakes in April. Weld is also expected to land the opening two-yearold maiden with Edessann who shaped up well to take third on his debut in a Gowran maiden two months ago.
Edessann does have a couple of lengths to find with South Pacific but the switch to soft ground should bring about plenty of improvement in this Lope De Vega colt.
And in the nine furlong handicap the vote goes to Aussie Valentine who has a strong record over this course and distance.
In the Grade 3 novice chase Le Richebourg looks the one to beat on the evidence of his pleasing chasing debut at Listowel.
The two-mile handicap hurdle looks a tricky affair but Conron is put forward in the hope that he can return to the form that carried him to a shock success at Punchestown in May.