Murphy’s Hitchcock A Thriller At Wexford

Bryan Cooper enjoyed a nice winner at Galway yesterday and it could be two in two days for the jockey as he heads for Wexford this afternoon.

Hitchcock To Foil Mullins And Townend
Eight And Bob was the 1/1 favourite overnight for the Casey Enterprises Handicap Hurdle and there is no doubt that the five-year-old could be thrown in but he has had a frustrating start to life with the champion trainer Willie Mullins.

Eight And Bob unseated Colin Keane on the flat last month and then failed to get a clear run at Clonmel next time out. He didn’t jump great at Downpatrick last time when finishing second and if improving for that he will be hard to beat but is unlikely to have a massive host of supporters at those odds.

An alternative selection is the locally trained Hitchcock for Barry Murphy. The four-year-old gets a 4lbs age allowance and caught the eye when making his handicap debut over hurdles at Tramore a couple of weeks ago.

Outside of the potential of the short priced favourite, there doesn’t seem to be great depth to this handicap hurdle and…

at 12/1 Hitchcock looked the type that may be able to step forward and run a big race.

Roche To Add Another Winner
Padraig Roche has been tipping away nicely in terms of winners since taking over the licence from his father Christy and his most recent winner Neddyvaughan might be able to win again.

Neddyvaughan got an 8lbs hike for his Fairyhouse win a fortnight ago but it was a fairly impressive performance, albeit in a lower grade.

Neddyvaughan’s form would suggest he has a brighter future over fences than hurdles and with a light weight against some much more exposed rivals the seven-year-old could be still on the right side of the handicapper with Kevin Brouder booked to take 7lbs off 10st2lbs.

Recommended Bets:
Hitchcock (12/1) – 2.00 Wexford
Neddyvaughan (5/2) – 3.45 Wexford

*Prices correct at time of publication.