As some of you will no doubt know by now, yours truly put in a very rough day yesterday, which resulted in the revelation I’d been struck by a bout of Celulitus – a type of blood poisoning which, if not treated quickly, can be lethal. However, with the quality of fare at Leopardstown this weekend, some effort had to be made. Thus, today’s musings come to you live from the sick bed!
The defection of Klassical Dream has obviously taken some of the sheen off the day’s feature race – the Irish Champion Hurdle – but while Honeysuckle is bound to be all the rage (and deservedly so), it’d be no shock to me if another Willie Mullins inmate, Sharjah, gave her most to think about. But, from a punting perspective, there’s not much value in either. For that reason, with each way betting available on the first three, the Jessica Harrington-trained Supasundae (14/1 generally) might be where to look. He rarely runs a bad race and is nearly always in the money.
Now, normally, I don’t dabble in handicaps but on a big card like today’s, where bookies usually pay extra places, there’s always a bit of value to be had. In the handicap chase (2.35) I like the look of Debuchet. Mags Mullins’s grey was a very talented Bumper horse and, although proving frustrating over hurdles, he seems to have rediscovered his spark over the bigger obstacles.
When it comes to efficiency in handicaps, though, Tony Martin has few equals. For that reason, early morning support for The Mouse Doctor in the day’s penultimate contest must be noted. The 7-year-old has been busy between the flat and over obstacles and it would be no shock to see him have a big say at the business end.
12.50: LONGHOUSE POET – EW – (JAMIE CODD/MARTIN BRASSIL)
1.25: MIN (ROBBIE POWER/WILLIE MULLINS)
2.00: CASH BACK (DANNY MULLINS/WILLIE MULLINS)
2.35: DEBUCHET – EW – (DANNY MULLINS/MAGS MULLINS)
3.10: SUPASUNDAE – EW – (ROBBIE POWER/JESSICA HARRINGTON)
3.45: THE MOUSE DOCTOR – EW – (PHILIP ENRIGHT/TONY MARTIN)
4.20: LIEUTENANT COMMAND – EW – (FINNY MAGUIRE/NOEL MEADE)
Leave a Reply