Edene bids to double up for Elliott in Champion Bumper Edene d'Arc impressed Gordon Elliott when winning on her debut at Gowran in late January and now bids to land a Listed prize at Limerick this afternoon in the Kevin McManus Bookmaker Champion (Pro-Am) Flat Race. The French-bred filly was easy to back on her racecourse debut but belied her odds of 14-1 to run out a cosy winner. That form has been boosted since by the runner-up Young Ted, an easy winner at Thurles last month, and Noel Meade's charge reopposes in the eight-runner field. Elliott revealed after her initial success that Edene D'Arc was only having her second ever piece of serious work when winning on debut and the trainer expected plenty of improvement from his charge. If she does step forward significantly from that experience, she'll surely take a bit of beating now in the four-year-old contest. Charles Byrnes looks to have a nice team of young horses under his care and he saddles two first-time out winners in the two-mile contest. Patrick Mullins has been engaged for Balliniska Band, who ran out a stylish winner on his debut at Naas in February. Mary B, who was a convincing winner on her first start at Gowran Park a week after her stablemate, also represents the Ballingarry handler. Elliott will also be hoping to strike earlier on the card with Last Minute Man in the INH Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle. The Yeats gelding was denied by just a head on his hurdling debut at Cork last month when returning from an absence. He had won his sole previous outing, in a Down Royal bumper in January 2017, and looks to have found a good opportunity to get his head in front over timber now. Tell Me Annie bids for compensation in the opening National Student Raceday Mares Maiden Hurdle after a last-flight fall at Cork recently. Declan Queally's charge was in command when crashing out at the last in Mallow at the start of this month and should prove hard to beat now if reproducing that run.
