Oristown Boy

(Joseph Murray)

Down Royal, June 19th

Despite being sent off at 66/1 and 80/1 on his first two starts, the Joseph Murray-trained Oristown Boy looks one capable of winning races after being bought inexpensively.

This two-year-old by Inns Of Court, picked up for just €7,000 as a yearling, was handed a horror draw in stall 19 over six furlongs at Fairyhouse on debut earlier this month, but it was his first strides out of the gates that really put him on the backfoot then - he almost unseated Siobhan Rutledge after stumbling and could never get involved from behind. There was definite promise in what he showed last week at Down Royal, however.

Yudish Geerdharry took his time on him from stall two and charted a wide enough path into the straight, but it was a decent turn of foot from the longshot to run on nicely past rivals for fourth that impressed (beaten only a length). He’ll need another bit of improvement to win a maiden, but he did take a step in the right direction on this occasion.

Bay Of Stars

(Dermot Weld)

Down Royal, June 20th

It was a slightly messy finish for a number of runners in the closing stages of the BoyleSports Ulster Derby and Dermot Weld’s Bay Of Stars certainly falls into that category. Juddmonte’s lightly-raced three-year-old has been making progress this season, winning a Dundalk maiden in April before finishing second to Johnny Murtagh’s in-form Darius Dark at Leopardstown last month.

Connections fitted a pair of cheekpieces on the New Bay colt for this assignment off a mark of 83 and he was possibly doing a little too much in Chris Hayes’ hands through the first half of the race. The real trouble was the lack of daylight he found once reaching the straight, though.

On multiple occasions, he was forced to wait to unwind his run and was still only beaten a length and three-quarters in third.

The first foal out of Listed Noblesse Stakes winner Heliac, who stayed a mile and a half well, this unexposed youngster could have a nice handicap in him during the second half of the campaign, after being nudged up 2lb for last weekend’s exploits. Each time he has stepped up in trip, he has raised his game and he might even stay a little further.

Miss Crinshaw

(Peter Fahey)

Ballinrobe, June 22nd

She might need a little luck to get in at the bottom of a Galway Festival handicap off a mark of 62, but Miss Crinshaw looks a decent 10,000gns online buy who could pop up in due course for Peter Fahey, judged on her first start for this team when fourth at Ballinrobe on Monday.

It’s difficult to say on paper that this Profitable filly ought to be enjoying middle distances, but that is what is bringing out the best in her and she’s stringing together some solid and consistent runs of late. The more prominently-ridden Daboya ran out an easy winner of this mile-and-five-furlong handicap and would have taken plenty of beating in any case, but the Straffan Racing Partnership’s eight-race maiden caught the eye running on from behind.

To an extent, she had to wait to deliver her challenge behind rivals and it was pleasing to see her come home so well, collecting prize money for the fourth straight start. She isn’t a high-grade filly, but looks capable of opening her account and it wouldn’t be a shock if she ended up being able to jump a hurdle in time.

Highwayman

(Joseph O’Brien)

Naas, June 24th

Highwayman isn’t one of Joseph O’Brien’s brightest lights by any means, but it was a dramatic step in the right direction from the three-year-old when flashing home from nowhere to finish eighth in a mile maiden at Naas on Wednesday. Yes, he never looked like winning, but his finishing effort is well worth watching back.

This Persian King colt would have been on course for an absolute basement mark prior to being beaten four and a half lengths in mid-field here. He had shown little in his opening trio of runs before this, posting Timeform ratings of 15, 33 and 40 in those outings.

Sent off a 250/1 chance in a maiden won by 89-rated stablemate Listentodwindblow, he got way behind early and still had a huge amount on his plate turning in. It almost looked as though the penny only dropped for him inside the final two furlongs.

He’s a half-brother to a fairly capable French middle-distance type and going further could easily bring out more in him once tackling handicap company. He’s been handed an opening mark of 76.