Simple Steps To Fill To Coffers Ahead Of Punchestown

We leave it late in the afternoon for our selections from the two Irish meetings but hopefully they’ll be worth waiting for and can fill the coffers ahead of the Punchestown Festival.

700km round trip to be worth it
Robert Tyner is never afraid to travel in search of winners but he’ll be making a round trip of over nine hours and 700km to have just one runner at Sligo today.

Simple Steps was actually Tyner’s most recent winner when he won at Limerick earlier this month and it is that nine-year-old who is trusted to land the penultimate race in the Yeats County.

Simple Steps won a mares only handicap chase at Limerick but did so off a rating of 101 and she’s now up to 107 as a result.

Today Tyner has opted to revert to hurdles with the mare and she has an eye-catching 17lbs in hand in the sphere.

While that doesn’t always work out to the advantage of the horses making the switch, Simple Steps looks to be in a poor enough race to make this count.

Simple Steps didn’t give much of an account of herself in her previous efforts in handicap hurdle company but positively she has handled all ground and won on conditions varying from good last time out to heavy previously and it would be a disappointment if she can’t back up the Limerick success here.

O’Brien’s to dominate Navan
There won’t be many winners to go around once Aidan O’Brien is finished at Navan but it is actually Charles O’Brien who is picked to land the finale.

A son of the legendary Vincent and no relation to the perennial champion, Charles sends out Strange Notions in the final 1m5f handicap and she should be up to winning off a lowly rating of 53.

Wayne Lordan takes the ride on the filly who has to carry just 8st6lbs and while some of her rivals are returning from a winter off, Strange Notions has had runs over hurdles which should help her strip fit here.

That said, Strange Notions hasn’t ran in over 100 days but she kept some good company over flights and was only beaten 10 lengths by the Grade 1 winning Honeysuckle on her penultimate start.

Her most recent Flat outing was a decent effort in the company with Like An Open Book and Minnie Dahill just a length and a half and a neck in front respectively and they’ve both since won on the level off higher ratings.

Strange Notions would be some certainty in a lesser race like a 47-65 but with a light weight in this open company she might be a decent betting prospect.

Recommended Bets
Simple Steps (4/1) – 5.00 Sligo
Strange Notions (16/1) – 5.15 Navan