Colin Keane To Hammer Home Advantage

Naas and Cork host the Irish action on Sunday and there’s plenty of prize money on offer at both meetings.

For Colin Keane it is only winners that matter now and he could maintain his healthy advantage over Pat Smullen at the Kildare track with some live chances for his boss, Ger Lyons.

Brace Beginning in the Birdcatcher
The Birdcatcher is one of the seasonal highlights at Naas and maybe punters should watch for market movers on the first selection but Moonlight Bay could be well treated and up to making a winning start for her new connections.

A course maiden winner on debut for Kevin Prendergast and subsequently fourth in a hotter race, the daughter of Pivotal is the least experienced of the 11 juveniles going to post here but should relish the trip and…

if there is any market support it would have to be deemed significant for a team that have been in good form of late.

The second potential leg of a Lyons and Keane double would be Elegant Pose in the listed Garnet Stakes. Her effort at Gowran Park when finishing third last time was a real pleasing performance and although she has to reverse the form with Making Light from that run, the latter has since finished down the field at the Curragh and it could be another case of a Lyons runner being open to the most improvement in the race.

On just her third start last time she finished third – beaten less than a length and a half – behind the much more higher rated Alluringly and with natural progression from that outing she would be hard to beat here.

Ruby to Star Again
The recent form of Three Stars wouldn’t jump off the page but the booking of Ruby Walsh would and Henry de Bromhead’s charge could prove value in the Grade B Handicap Chase at Cork on Sunday.

It’s a good race. The top three are decent handicappers, Ballyoisin with Donie McInerney’s 7lbs claim, Tell Us More who has a bit of class and Hurricane Ben who has posted some decent handicap performances, but…

Three Stars could just have a little bit in hand here.

Rated 140, Three Stars had no real right lining up in the Arkle at Cheltenham last year and his price (66/1) and the fact that he pulled up was no surprise but prior to that he had nice runs in Ireland in more modest novice races and he needs to transfer that to handicap company now.

He didn’t transfer it at Fairyhouse last season but that was after a lengthy season and trip to Cheltenham, and he didn’t land a blow at Listowel but any horse can be forgiven a bad run on such heavy ground. So Three Stars is given a chance to put his most recent form lines behind him and exploit what could be a lenient rating on his best form.

Recommended Bets:
Moonlight Bay (7/1) – 2.25 Naas
Elegant Pose (3/1) – 3.35 Naas
Three Stars (13/2) – 3.50 Cork

*Prices correct at time of publication.