The Model Kingdom winning at Punchestown this time last year© Photo Healy Racing
An action-packed day of racing in store today with Grade One action in Ireland at the rescheduled Down Royal meeting plus a host of other high class contests including Irish-trained runners represented at four British tracks.
Four runners and three runners for the two big races at Down Royal is not ideal from a betting perspective, but they are nonetheless intriguing affairs.
The return to action of one of last season’s most exciting novice chasers, Gerri Colombe, in the Grade One Champion Chase adds real spice to the four runner contest. Gerri Colombe’s only defeat of his career to date came in a thrilling finish to the Brown Advisory Novice Chase at the Cheltenham Festival when he went down by just a short-head to The Real Whacker.
Gerri Colombe will have to bring his A-game to Down Royal this afternoon as his three rivals set the bar pretty high. The enigmatic Envoi Allen landed this race last year and is unbeaten in four previous visits to this course, while Minella Indo, a former Gold Cup winner, is fit from a recent Grade Three victory and Gerri Colombe’s own stablemate Conflated was placed in last season’s Gold Cup.
If Gerri Colombe is to aspire to becoming a Gold Cup contender himself this season he ought to be winning this race, but is best watched from a betting perspective.
Only three runners will face the starter for the following Grade Two Chase, but again it is an interesting contest with Galway Plate winner Ash Tree Meadow facing up to Grade One winner Feronily and prolific winner Visionarian.
Feronily is penalised for his Grade One victory at the Punchestown Festival and Visionarian also has a small penalty for a Grade Three win last year so Ash Tree Meadow looks best in at the weights, but soft ground is enough of a worry to swerve him at short odds.
A better bet on the Down Royal card is Noel Meade’s mare The Model Kingdom who makes her handicap hurdle debut. She probably doesn’t have much up her sleeve off a rating of 127, but she arrives fit from a recent outing on the flat and has run to this type of rating on more than one occasion in graded contests. With four Gordon Elliott-trained horses in opposition Noel Meade did well to secure the services of Jack Kennedy for The Model Kingdom and she looks a solid each-way bet.
Check out bet365 for price boosts and extra places throughout today’s meetings in both Ireland and the UK
Another horse worth backing today is Dust Sheehy’s Captain Conby who runs in a Grade Two Novice Chase at Wincanton. Connections have always felt that Captain Conby will make a better chaser than hurdler and he was most impressive when scoring on his chasing debut at Killarney in August.
Ile Atlantique beating Feronily at Leopardstown last Christmas© Photo Healy Racing
There were positives to take from his subsequent defeat by the high class Sharjah at Tipperary and if he can keep his jumping errors to a minimum he will give the odds-on favourite Knappers Hill plenty to think about in a race that could develop into a match between the pair.
Gesskille looks to have solid claims in the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase over the National course at Aintree today. Gesskille was only denied by a nose in this race last year and arrives this time having scored at Auteuil in mid-September.
The going for his victory in France was described as very soft which bodes well for his chances on today's testing surface.
Heavy ground is also forecast for Gowran Park today and that could well see Parzzini put on a repeat performance of his victory over course and distance at the end of September.
The Lorna Fowler-trained 5-y-o was strongly backed when making all in a maiden hurdle here last time and now enters handicap company racing off a very fair looking rating of 107.
Willie Mullins rarely leaves his local track at Gowran without a winner or two and today should be no exception. He has strong claims in several races, but perhaps the main one to be interested in from a betting point of view is Ile Atlantique in the maiden hurdle at 2.32pm.
This looks like a deep contest with a number of above average prospects in the line up. That should ensure reasonable odds are available for Ile Atlantique who could develop into a top novice hurdler this season. He was strongly backed to win a bumper on his Irish debut last year when taking the scalp of subsequent Grade One hurdle chase Feronily at Leopardstown and went close in two more bumper runs.
Ile Atlantique was placed over hurdles in France before joining Willie Mullins so his jumping should not be a concern.
If you are betting on today's horse racing action please gamble responsibly dunlewey.org
