The Irish horse racing broadcaster picks out his two best bets from a relatively quiet weekend in the festive period.
It’s a somewhat low-key weekend for Irish racing, with Thurles’s seven-race card on Saturday the final domestic action before a festive feast.
In truth, it’s probably a day to tread carefully but in the featured Billy Harney Memorial EBF Mares Novices Hurdle at 13:55 AMANHA
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makes a bit of appeal at what is likely to be a decent price.
Runner-up to facile scorer Femme Magnifique in the bumper on this card twelve months ago, Dermot McLoughlin’s charge renews rivalry with her old foe here and of the two she has certainly been in the better form of late.
Her latest fourth in a Grade 3 at Down Royal doesn’t leave her much to find with a couple of these and the likely good ground is a real plus.
The other one who might be worth a small interest is the versatile and durable WALHAAN
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in the 2m+ handicap hurdle which follows.
A four-time scorer on the level, most recently at Dundalk in October, Ciarán Murphy’s grey was far from disgraced in much stronger company on his last outing in this discipline after being badly hampered by a faller.
Blue Velvet is a notable new recruit for Willie Mullins and Gigginstown in the finale but it’s hard to imagine the layers giving too much away – even if it is Christmas!
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