Brian O’Connor
Ahead of the upcoming “Champions Weekend” extravaganza it is tempting to describe this weekend’s domestic action as bread-and-butter although bread-and-water might be more apt, something unlikely to distract top amateur jockey Robbie McNamara from the job of steering Tandem to victory at Navan today.
The high-class flat horse was widely expected to get his jumping career off to a winning start at Galway but wound up only third to Most Peculiar with McNamara’s ride hardly earning top-marks from Dermot Weld afterwards.
Normally McNamara concedes little or nothing even to professionals when it comes to style and effectiveness in the saddle and in a weak looking contest, Tandem should have far too much class.
On Impulse brings a decent reputation to his own jumping debut in today’s other maiden hurdle and last February’s bumper winner can score for Tipperary trainer Harry Kelly while Icy Reply is rated to add to a pair of three-mile victories during the summer in the mares hurdle.
Good opportunity
Tomorrow’s €30,000 Dundalk feature looks a good opportunity for the first-time blinkered Dandyleekie to beat just four opponents. Ger Lyons’s horse has run into a couple of very good horses – Lucida and Dick Whittington – in his last two starts.
A high draw is normally a negative at Dundalk but most of the leading contenders for the seven-furlong juvenile maiden look to be drawn wide. Ballydoyle’s General Marshall is in 12 while Jessica Harrington’s Lola Beaux is in 10. Between them is Into The Stars, a daughter of the transformed stallion Starspangledbanner.
Lola Beaux showed some signs of greenness during that Tipperary run and could step up significantly from it.
Her jockey Fran Berry also looks to have a leading shout in the first division of the mile handicap aboard Anner Queen. The daughter of Invincible Spirit didn’t get a clear run up the straight in her last start at Killarney and was left with a difficult task.
Xsquared has a big weight to carry in the other leg but has been in very good form over hurdles during the summer and is rated similarly to when previously winning on the surface. Another topweight is Notable Graduate who was runner up at Gowran on Wednesday evening and shapes like appreciating the step up to two miles in tomorrow’s finale.
