Balla Sola noted

The stamina Listowel demands is emphasised yet again with an eight-race card that could stretch punters to their limit.

The stamina Listowel demands is emphasised yet again with an eight-race card that could stretch punters to their limit.

The feature is the £27,500 Supporters Club Lartigue Hurdle, where last year's Triumph Hurdle runner-up Balla Sola tops the weights.

It's a tough task for a not over big flat-bred to have to shoulder 12st on his seasonal debut but it's a task that doesn't look beyond this particular horse, especially with Phillip Carberry claiming 7lb. A flat rating of 99 testifies to Balla Sola's raw speed, and he took to hurdling with a vengeance last winter, trotting up on his debut before running a blinder at Cheltenham.

There were even some who suggested he may have given Katarino even more to do if ridden more patiently, and a subsequent easy win at Fairyhouse seemed to confirm that he is best when waited with.

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Balla Sola was last seen when a disappointing fifth to Katarino at Punchestown, where Miss Emer was a place in front, but that was at the end of the season and this looks a different prospect today.

Bamford Castle looks an obvious danger, especially when in receipt of 17lb, and Quintus at his best would be a danger to all.

However, this race has been Balla Sola's target for some months, and with a busy autumn ahead of him, he should be coming to peak fitness.

The nap, however, goes to Morning Breeze in the opening three-year-old maiden. Runner-up to Royal Command at the Curragh at the start of the season, she subsequently flopped behind Carambola in a Leopardstown Listed race.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column