Street’s ahead of the rest

CHATHAM STREET LAD might be capable of defying top-weight in the €80,000 Ladbrokes Munster National in Limerick tomorrow.

The Mick Winters-trained nine-year-old must concede a minimum of 9lb. to his rivals. But he proved himself a classy handicapper when landing the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup in hugely impressive style at Cheltenham last December, off a mark of 141.

Now 10lb. higher, Chatham Street Lad has been lightly-raced since that Cheltenham success, finishing third in the Dan Moore at Fairyhouse before a mid-winter break and filling fourth spot behind Chantry House in the

Marsh at the festival.

When last seen, Chatham Street Lad landed the

Grade 3 Hugh Mcmahon Memorial Novice Chase last March.

Darragh O’keeffe’s mount is unproven over three miles. But he has a high cruising-speed, jumps well and should see out the trip. And he gets the vote over the long-absent Willie Mullins-trained novice Ontheropes, not seen since finishing second to classy stable-companion Monkfish at Fairyhouse last November and John Ryan’s mare Fairyhill Run, up a total of 28lb. for wins at Limerick and Kilbeggan, having missed the ‘cut’ for the Kerry National.

On the supporting card, Paul Nolan’s Mrs Milner, winner of the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham and boasting a rating of 139, sets the standard in the listed Irish EBF Cailin Alainn Mares Hurdle.

Killarney winner Karl Der Grosse is marginally preferred to January Jets in the www.angloprinters.ie Rated Chase.

And Jessica Harrington’s classy flat performer Barbados is a fascinating hurdling debutant in the Pricewaterhousecoopers Maiden Hurdle, in which Henry de Bromhead’s Dixie Flyer and the Gordon Elliott-trained Downpatrick bumper winner Top Bandit, look the chief threats.

A NATIONAL TREASURE Chatam Street Lad runs