Yesterday’s Review

1pt e/way Unless (97) – A race dominated by those drawn high, and thankfully we were on the right side for this race….The race was run to suit her more than the first three finishers. A solid enough fourth place in the end. Result 4th 11/1 adv…SP 14/1

Today’s Advice

STORMY JENN (10f 75y Handicap) Peter Cluskey’s likeable 6-y-o mare has been dropped 2lb by the handicapper for today’s (3.10) Down Royal, despite a very decent effort lto from a bad draw in stall (18) at Fairyhouse over 10f. That (102) performance on the clock was her best since her 2.5L victory over Plunkett in 2021. She has form on a Soft surface having won at Gowran Park last October by an easy 6L from a handicap mark of (60). Robert Whearty takes another valuavble 7lbs off, and he has ridden her to victory before. Hopefully she can get a decent position from stall (12), and a reproduction of her last effort should see her go close.

YOUNG IRELAND (12f 175y Handicap) Jim Bolger’s 3-y-o colt steps up in distance for today’s (4.25) Down Royal Ulster Derby with conditions looking a bit more suitable than his odds may imply. His career best performance on the clock (110) at Cork, when beating the Aidan O’Brien trained  Farnborough, was achieved on a Soft surface while making most of the running. He looked beaten inside the final furlong that day before outstaying that rival at the finish. With not much pace on again today, and conditions on the slow side (following 11mm of rain overnight) there is a decent chance that he may outrun his odds as the outsider of today’s field. I am willing to allow him his last run on faster conditions when only fourth behind Drumroll at The Curragh, but still achieving a decent RPR of 94.

LISSADELL (12f 175y Handicap) Mark Michael McNiff’s 4-y-o filly gets into the (5.05) Down Royal today as first reserve and while she may be an outsider there may be reasons for getting involved. While her seasonal debut may look poor on form only finishing 10th beaten 6.25L, it was only her fourth career start. The speed figure of (96) wasn’t too bad at all in the context of this race. She gets to race off a lowly mark of (47), and readers will recall a similar likeness for Shane Ryder’s No Hassle (a non-runner for today’s race) before she started her recent improvement. While she has been pulled out on Soft/Heavy conditions before, it should be noted that her dam Soft Ice coped fine with these conditions in France. A speculative interest no doubt, but she might just outrun her current odds.

1pt e/way Stormy Jenn (17/2 4 places Generally) 3.10 Down Royal

1pt e/way Young Ireland (22/1 Generally) 4.25 Down Royal

0.5pt e/way Lissadell (33/1 4 places William Hill/Coral/Betfred/Ladbrokes) 5.05 Down Royal