The regular racegoer, who for so long associated St Patrick's Day with the opening of the Irish Flat season, is today being fobbed off with two programmes of stunning mediocrity. The two Bank Holiday cards can muster a single £10,000 race between them. This is the Joseph Scallon Memorial Chase at Wexford.
JP McManus, whose Master Term brought off a mammoth last race Cheltenham gamble, can pick up the petty cash here with Royal Marine (4.30) although this 'professional runner-up' is hardly the sort of horse that will attract a serious punt by the owner.
The nap runs earlier in the day at Wexford when Starry Knight looks the business in the Rosslare Maiden Hurdle. An easy handicap winner at Haydock in September when trained by John Dunlop, she was running for only the second time over hurdles when pipped at the post by Gabby Hayes at Naas.
The danger will probably come from Creux Noir in the colours of Dr Michael Smurfit. His handler Dermot Weld, who when the Flat opened on this day 'farmed' the first juvenile event, will have to content himself with a Down Royal last two contests double through the medium of Francis Bay (5.15) and Gutnick (5.45).
Francis Bay, successful at successive Galway Festivals winning an amateur riders' Flat race in 1998 and a conditions hurdle in 1999, will surely be part of the stable's team in search of a Gslway hat-trick in mid-Summer.
Gutnick carries Dermot's own colours and from four starts, he has been second twice already. His best effort was on this sort of ground at Gowran in October when he ran four and a half lengths behind Dr Torus.
Ephony Lady (3.45) ran well although beaten by Simlet at Musselburgh this month and will again throw down a serious challenge.
The Clarke and Dawe Maiden Hurdle has been divided and Henni Bay (3.15) would win division two if she runs as well here as at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day when 4th in a very good type of maiden hurdle. The trio that finished ahead of her then were Galeogan, Our Bid and Arctic Copper.
