Treacysenniscorthy bids for five-timer at Navan Treacysenniscorthy has really done County Waterford trainer Robert Widger proud this season and the gelding switches to fences at Navan this afternoon in a bid to extend his winning sequence in the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Handicap Chase. The Beneficial gelding has progressed tremendously this season winning the Pertemps Qualifier at the Leopardstown Christmas meeting before recording his fifth win of the campaign over the same course and distance in the valuable William Fry Handicap Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival. The eight-year-old was beaten off a mark of 101 last October but such is his rate of improvement that he currently holds a hurdle rating of 138. Interestingly Widger has always viewed him as a chaser and, having won a 2m6f beginners event last autumn at the Listowel Festival, he gets in here off an attractive mark of 119. The Gold Cup winning team of Willie Mullins and Paul Townend are represented by top-weight Ontheropes, while Tokyo Getaway won well at Clonmel last month and may prove the main threat. Mullins and Townend also team up with Cadmium in the Webster Cup Chase, while others to note in this Grade 2 event include Ornua, Mengli Khan and Castlegrace Paddy. Blackbow has proved expensive to follow over hurdles this season and now faces Lynwood Gold and The Priests Leap in the opening Bective Restaurant Maiden Hurdle. Francin is another fancied runner from Closutton in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Hurdle, where the Gordon Elliott-trained pair Pencilfulloflead and Festival D’ex look the chief dangers.
