Horses for Courses

This weekend’s action

Racing in Ireland this weekend gets the national hunt season into full swing starting at Clonmel today, Thursday with tapes for the first back at 1.25 pm. Tomorrow flat racing takes place at Dundalk’s all weather track, stalls open for the first at 6.30 pm. On Saturday racing at Punchestown near Naas features the Grade 3 Fishery Lane Hurdle with the first away at 1.05 pm. Sunday sees a classic card for the second of a two day meeting at Punchestown off at 12.45 pm and there is also racing on the Cork track in Mallow starting

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This weekend’s action

Racing in Ireland this weekend gets the national hunt season into full swing starting at Clonmel today, Thursday with tapes for the first back at 1.25 pm. Tomorrow flat racing takes place at Dundalk’s all weather track, stalls open for the first at 6.30 pm. On Saturday racing at Punchestown near Naas features the Grade 3 Fishery Lane Hurdle with the first away at 1.05 pm. Sunday sees a classic card for the second of a two day meeting at Punchestown off at 12.45 pm and there is also racing on the Cork track in Mallow starting at 1.00 pm. 

  Sunday racing sees a classy card with the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle and the Craddockstown and Florida Pearl Novice Chases, both Grade 2 events. The Grade one race sees the reappearance of Hurricane Fly and he should beat Go Native and rest of a class field. Assembled.

  Mouse Morris’s prolific winner Baily Green could go for 8 in a row on Sunday in Punchestown’s Craddockstown Novice Chase on Sunday. Stepping up to Grade 2 he will face his toughest task to date here with Jessica Harrington’s Oscars Well and Jenari, Henry de Bromhead’s Buckers Bridge and Darwins Fox also in the potential line up. Dylan Ross and Twinlight make up the 7 runner field. The dual Roscommon winner is taken to meet the task and make the sequence 8 in a row which started at Lenebane back in May.

  Willie Mullins’ Back In Focus and Dessie Hughes’ Lyreen Legend are in the Florida Pearl Novice Chase where the former, on his Listowel win, should prevail. Locally owned Corskeagh Royale is also in the lineup.

  The weather still continues to affect racing in Ireland with the loss of the meeting at Limerick on Monday due to water logging 

  Peter Casey’s Flemenstar made it 6 in a row winning the Grade 2 Fortria Chase on his reappearance at Navan last Sunday. A winner of The Arkle Novice and The Power Gold Cup, both Grade 1 chases, he beat Big Zeb and Foil Dubh 7l and 1½l. His next outing will probably be the John Durkan at Punchestown. 

  Looking forward to the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March there is a question over whether the horse will stay the distance. On Easter Monday 2010 he won his point to point in yielding to soft at Loughanmore  by an easy 20l and has been backed from 20’s to 8’s for the Blue Riband of chasing, enough said, value gone.

GENERAL NEWS

Drugs allegations again rock the industry with news this week that Frankie Dettori failed a drug test, not performance enhancing drugs, at Longchamp in September. The Italian jockey set to face a France Galop inquiry next week. Neither Dettori nor France Galop have commented on proceedings and will not be doing so before the hearing. 

  Dettori’s 18-year association with the Godolphin organisation came to an end last month and the former champion jockey will operate freelance in 2013.

  Frankel continues to make the headlines even in retirement by becoming the first horse to be named Cartier Horse Of The Year twice. Henry Cecil’s superstar took his unbeaten record to 14 races before being retired in the wake of victory in the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot last month. The 4-Y-O colt has been a Cartier champion in each of his three seasons racing, winning the Juvenile Colt award in 2010 and being named Horse Of The Year in 2011 after a season in which he won the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas.

POINT TO POINT VIEW 

Only two meetings this weekend, on Saturday at Kirkistown on the Ards Peninsula in North Down and on Sunday at Affane near Cappoquin in Waterford. Both meetings are off at 12.00.  

Roscommon People

Issue: 16th November 2012