Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GLAN SLAM FOR GORD Mare to strike for JP and Elliott
DUAL bumper-winner Glan, trained for JP Mcmanus by Gordon Elliott, will be strongly fancied to get off the mark over hurdles in today’s Irish EBF Supporting Treo Eile Mares Maiden Hurdle in Fairyhouse.
This six-year-old mare won her bumpers in Kilbeggan (last August) and Punchestown (September) and, back after a break, she finished third to Grangee, beaten ten lengths, in a Grade 3 mares’ event at the Punchestown Festival in April.
Glan wore JP’S colours for the first time when making her hurdling debut in Listowel recently and, easy to back, she shaped with plenty of promise, holding every chance in the straight before having to settled for third spot behind The Names Jock, beaten six lengths.
On that occasion, the Getaway mare gave the impression that she would improve from the run and that she would appreciate stepping-up in trip. So the extra two furlongs today should play to her strengths.
On that basis, Glan is preferred to the other dual bumper-winner in the field, Paul Nolan’s Jeremy’s Jewel, fifth in a Grade B mares bumper at Leopardstown in February 2020 before being off the track for 16 months.
But Nolan’s mare has made up for lost time, scoring at Wexford and
Killarney, and will pose a definite threat to Glan.
Elliott also has prospects with four-year-old chasing debutante Riviere d’etel in the opening Return Of The Jumps Mares Beginners Chase.
A winner at Punchestown last New Year’s Eve, she was then a beaten favourite, against older rivals in Navan and ended her campaign with a seventh, off 134, in the Boodles at Cheltenham.
Receiving 9lb., Riviere d’etel gets the nod over Gavin Cromwell’s highly-tried Jeremys Flame, a first fence casualty in this race last year, boasting better hurdle form than the selection but needing to reproduce her best.
The Irish Stallion farms EBF Beginners Chase has attracted a strong field and, although he has fallen twice in four starts over hurdles, I’m expecting a big run from Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Escape.
Winner of his maiden hurdle in Tramore, Minella Escape was in front when falling two out in the Grade 3 novice won by Frontal Assault at Navan in February.
Sure to be well schooled and from a yard which does so well with novice chasers, Minella Escape has always looked likely to make a decent staying chaser.
Dangers include Jessica Harrington’s 133-rated Port Stanley, winless in eight chase starts and a faller (three out) in the race won by Busselton in Listowel last time.