Navan – December 16th, 2007

Positives: Glencove Marina [WON 11/4 - Leopardstown, 13/1/08] seems to have a massive home reputation at Willie Mullins’ and the 5yo justified strong late support to land the 2m4f Beginners Chase. Whether he’d have won had the two leaders stayed on their feet at the second last is open to question but his jumping was impressive and he was certainly closing at the time. The maiden hurdle won by Majestic Concorde at Punchestown has worked out well and Dermot Weld’s charge followed up in the imperious style his price of 2/7 suggested in the 4yo hurdle. His trainer opted to take in this soft option instead of the Grade 1 but he certainly wouldn’t have been out of place in that company and will be making his mark in pattern races soon. Lord Over had some smart bumper form in his past, including when a close third to Leading Run in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown in 2006, and shaped encouragingly on his first run in 501 days in the closing event.

Negatives: The Barry & Sandra Kelly Memorial Novice Hurdle looked a shocking renewal of the Grade 1 and though Trafford Lad has done nothing wrong to date, he hardly looks top notch. The jumping on show was awful with 40% of the field falling and the winner and runner-up trying to out-do each other with poor jumps the whole way up the straight. As previously stated, Majestic Concorde would have given them all plenty to do and the ordinary novice hurdle run over course and distance 8 days ago, in which Aranleigh and the unlucky Woodbine Willie shared the honours, is likely to have much more bearing on the season’s better races.

Pointers: Jessica Harrington suffered a blow with the untimely demise of Macs Joy over the weekend and the poor form of her stable must be a concern at present. Prior to today’s racing, she had managed just 4 places from 24 runners in the previous weeks and her 6 runners today were also turned over. Desert Abbey, a horse she recently described as ‘the best maiden hurdler in Ireland’ (albeit perhaps tongue-in-cheek!), was again disappointing in Cork and looks a complete short-runner at the 2m trip. The form of the Hatton’s Grace was let-down by Sweet Kiln at Navan who appeared to have everything in her favour. It may be that both herself and Aitmatov are simply decent performers, without being spectacular. In the Grade 2 Hilly Way Chase at Cork, The Railway Man had a nice spin around without ever seriously being put into the race. He should come on for the run and will be well-suited by going up in trip on a left-handed track.