QUIZICAL

Entered: 4.00 Monday

He will have his share of weight for Monday’s feature but Quizical has progressed into useful type who is coming forward well with each run and he appeals as one that can hold his own in decent nurseries over the course of the autumn.

Last time out the Roderic O’Connor colt got off the mark in a seven-furlong maiden at Gowran where he accounted for the subsequent winner Sirjack Thomas.

That run was preceded by a pair of runner-up finishes at Galway and the second of those outings came when Quizical chased home the useful Yulong Gold Fairy in a reasonable auction maiden on soft-to-heavy ground. On that basis the conditions at Listowel should hold no fears for Sheila Lavery’s charge and he is a tough and willing sort who is thriving with racing – qualities which should stand him in good stead for this assignment.

In addition, he shouldn’t have any difficulty stepping up to a mile for the first time.

MAZE RUNNER

Entered: 2.10 & 3.10 Tuesday

Willie Mullins’ multifaceted team for the festival could include a two-year-old winner in the shape of this Authorized gelding who has a choice of engagements on Tuesday afternoon. Maze Runner will be worth following whatever option he takes but he would be particularly interesting if he lines up in the one-mile median auction maiden.

On his debut at Leopardstown last month he offered plenty of encouragement for the future in finishing third to Nelson in a mile maiden. He was beaten nine lengths that day, and the runner-up from the race has since met with defeat, but there was still plenty of promise to be taken from Maze Runner’s effort and he will surely progress well from that initial racecourse experience. It is also worth pointing out that plenty of his sire’s offspring tend to cope very well with soft ground.

CONEYGREE

Entered: 4.05 Wednesday

The focal point of the entire week is unquestionably the appearance of the 2015 Gold Cup winner in the Guinness Kerry National and a fine run in defeat at the end of last season would suggest that this 10-year-old will take all the beating despite shouldering top-weight.

Since that Gold Cup victory, where he produced a stunning effort to defeat a quality field on just his fourth outing over fences, Coneygree has been restricted to just three runs. The last of those came at the Punchestown Festival where he was beaten just over a length and a half into third by the reigning Gold Cup winner Sizing John.

In what was one of the races of the season, Coneygree showed that his abilities still burn brightly and, if he turns up here in similar form, he will surely be too strong for Wednesday’s opponents. Encouragingly, the son of Karinga Bay has won on his seasonal reappearance on four occasions.

INSCRIBE

Entered: 2.35 Wednesday

This gelding is easily one of the most interesting entrants for a nine-furlong three-year-old handicap on Wednesday afternoon.

After just three runs he is perhaps the least exposed member of the field and he comes into this race off an encouraging Irish debut at Navan last weekend when he finished fifth to Goldrush in a mile maiden.

That outing resulted in an initial mark of 69 for Inscribe who was noted putting in some good late work at Navan. The potentially testing going is an unknown for this American-bred but it would be noteworthy if his connections opt to let him line up here.

His first two runs in Britain didn’t yield a tremendous amount of encouragement but his Navan showing was a significant step in the right direction.

Furthermore, his owner’s record at sourcing potential improvers from across the Irish Sea is second to none.

GOLDEN SPEAR

Entered: 4.50 Thursday

As he returns to the scene of his last victory over hurdles, this Tony Martin inmate could be the answer to the Ladbrokes Ireland Handicap Hurdle. A dual premier handicap winner on the flat last year, he showed up well in some quality handicap hurdles during the winter, as evidenced by a fourth to Brian Power at Ascot in December and a third to Ice Cold Soul at Leopardstown the following month.

Admittedly he could only manage sixth in a Grade B handicap at Killarney last month but he is certainly capable of better and he can be counted most unlucky not to have won at the Galway Festival prior to that. It is encouraging to note that he coped well with testing ground when winning the 2015 Lartigue Hurdle at this track and that defeat of the subsequent Galway Hurdle hero Tigris River does represent a standout piece of form in the context of this race.