Ontheropes To Deliver Knockout Punch For Willie & Ruby

The opportunities to find big priced winners in Ireland today are scarce enough with relatively small fields at both Dundalk and Tramore.

The action on the all-weather hosts some real trappy contests while the ground at Tramore has gone from good to yielding to being close to heavy and that is sure to see a number of non-runners from that card.

Ruby to deliver knockout punch

Cheveley Park were renowned for their high class Flat runners but in recent seasons their famous red and white colours have become far more prominent over jumps.

The owners might not have got much of their near quarter of a million investment in Ontheropes back yet but his hurdling debut at Tramore today can yield some success.

A runner-up in a Point to Point for Denis Murphy last year, the five-year-old was sixth and fourth in two bumpers this year.

Stepping up in trip with more of an ease in the ground and a couple of circuits of hurdles in front of him could make all the difference for the Willie Mullins-trained runner.

The Denis Hogan-trained Macgiloney has had a few chances now and just always seems to find something too good for him, while Spyglass Hill boasts a decent rating of 118 and that would be good enough for most Tramore maiden hurdles so it won’t be a walk in the park for Ontheropes but he is trusted to get the job done today.

Waterboy to have his day

At Dundalk today six of the nine runners in the Recruit Island Handicap are previous winners at the Louth track but it is Waterboy who is picked to gain just his second ever win and first on the all-weather.

Dick Brabazon wouldn’t have a big string of horses but Waterboy has been a consistent performer for him ever since he finished fourth at a big price on debut at Navan a couple of years ago.

His sole win came at Leopardstown on quick ground and that was off a rating of 66 when he carried top weight to win over a mile.

Waterboy is still 3lbs higher than that winning mark but he has competed well since that win and wasn’t disgraced at the Curragh on his final start last season before running at Dundalk last month and going down by just a short head to Ciao.

The step up to a mile and a half again should be perfect for Waterboy and Ciao didn’t do his form any harm when second at Naas in a decent race on Saturday. Ross Coakley’s mount is around about a 4/1 shot and should take a bit of beating against rivals that appear to be a bit more exposed.

Recommended Bets:
Ontheropes (11/8) – 2.50 Tramore
Waterboy (7/2) – 4.15 Dundalk

*Prices correct at time of publication