Mullins’ Acapella In Tune At Navan

Could we see a Gold Cup contender at Navan on Sunday?

Well there’s actually every chance we could see two potential Gold Cup runners with Samcro a long range project for that race but it is Acapella Bourgeois that this meeting has revolved around.

Top Weight In The Troytown
Gordon Elliott has won the Troytown for the last three years and last year he won it with the top weight, Empire Of Dirt, who was having his first start for the yard. Earlier this week in the Herald and yesterday in the Racing Post Willie Mullins expressed his concern at Acapella Bourgeois having to carry top weight on heavy ground for his first run back but he’s still the 3/1 market leader. And probably rightly so.

There’s certainly no fear about the horse on the ground but it is just the fact that he has to give so much weight away to his rivals that would be the concern.

He is the class horse in the race and outside a few, it is hard to make a case for many. General Principle is the best chance of the Elliott team and he is the each-way play in the race if you don’t want to back a short priced favourite in such a competitive handicap chase.

You could back Acapella Bourgeois at 50/1 for the Gold Cup just a couple of months ago and he’s only 20/1 now. There’s a chance he’ll be even shorter again by this evening.

Flynn Can Hit The Highway
The two-mile handicap hurdle might take a bit of getting at Navan on Sunday but a horse that made appeal is Pat Flynn’s Dixie Highway.

The six-year-old has been creeping up the weights without winning recently but being a son of Jeremy he should relish the condition, despite having form on decent ground.

Dixie Highway is a consistent type and should be able to run well here.

A lot of this field look pretty exposed with the exception being recent Navan runner-up Lex Talionis, but he too has gone up the weights 8lbs since winning on his penultimate start and hopefully Dixie Highway can just edge this.

Recommended Bets:
Dixie Highway (6/1) – 1.35 Navan
Acapella Bourgeois (11/4) – 2.35 Navan

*Prices correct at time of publication.