THERE AREN’T many major steeplechases in Ireland Paul Carberry hasn’t won but Caduceus can help the veteran jockey fill in a rare gap by landing today’s Guinness Kerry National at Listowel.
The €160,000 highlight of the festival week was won 13 years ago by Carberry’s younger brother Philip, who scored on Lanturn and that one’s trainer Pat Hughes can provide the winning material again.
Caduceus was once memorably described by Hughes as being slow enough to make a speed gene test unnecessary but it is stamina rather than speed that will be the vital requirement this afternoon.
Ground conditions continue to be testing at Listowel and Caduceus proved his ability to handle such going on his last start at the Punchestown Festival in May when landing the Pat Taaffe Chase.
With the top four in the original entry choosing to skip the National, the weights have been raised a stone, with the Galway Plate runner-up, Casey Top, and Whodoyouthink now on top of the ratings.
Caduceus, though, looks to still have a fine racing weight off 10st 9lb, a pound below the English raider Premier Dane who has been in prolific form this winter but will do well to cope with this sort of very soft going.
The last cross-channel-based winner of the Kerry National was Ferdy Murphy’s Macs Supreme in 2000, while there will be lots of sentimental interest in how the 2007 and 2008 winner Ponmeoath gets on in the race again.
Ruby Walsh is a four-time winner and his mount Themoonandsixpence is something of an unknown quantity having not run since finishing runner-up in the 2010 Galway Plate.
However, in the conditions, Caduceus and Carberry can prove a winning team.
Half a dozen line up for the Listed flat contest and Chamonix’s display when successfully ploughing through the mud at Galway earlier in the month should make the Ballydoyle number one hard to beat.
Minsk, last year’s Irish Cesarewitch winner, but beaten on his only start as a hurdler, returns to action for John Oxx who scored with another ex-jumper What A Charm last year.
The novice hurdle appears quite a trappy contest but Tugboat looked a jumper of some promise at the Galway Festival and in the circumstances a poor effort on the flat at Gowran last time may be best ignored.
Just four line up for the two-year- ld maiden and the Ballydoyle number one Hall Of Mirrors, sports first-time blinkers after failing to Impound at Killarney last time.
However, Impound’s trainer, Dermot Weld, throws Secret Recipe into the pot today and he should know where he stands with Hall Of Mirrors.
LISTOWEL REPORT: Lodge lands feature
Tom Doyle brought Burrenbridge Lodge home a comfortable winner of the Listowel Races Supporters Club Lartigue Handicap Hurdle yesterday.Taking up the running before the second-last flight, Kieren Purcell’s 11 to 1 shot was soon in command and Doyle was able to take it easy close home as Burrenbridge Lodge ran out a five-and-a-half-length scorer in the €30,000 feature event.
Mulleady was second with Tobar Na Gaoise third.
“I didn’t think he’d handle the ground. I was afraid of the ground though he did win on it at Gowran,” said Co Kilkenny-based Purcell.
“I thought Tom was a bit easy on him as he likes to be ridden handier. Tom knows him best though.
“He travelled fiercely well and he went away well at the finish. He’ll stay hurdling and we don’t have any immediate plan for him.
“He ran a cracker at Tipperary (fifth behind Rebel Fitz) last time.”
The Flat honours on a mixed card went to Chris Hayes, who weighed in with a 370 to 1 treble courtesy of Seolan (14 to 1), Flameseeker (9 to 2) and Fit The Cove (7 to 2).
