Kevin Blake

1:00 BAR ONE RACING ROYAL BOND NOVICE HURDLE (GRADE 1) 2M

All Hell Let Loose: The winner of a bumper at Thurles and a maiden hurdle at Galway but this represents a big step up in class for him.

Draco: A two-time winner over hurdles that seemed suited by more positive riding tactics when winning at Wexford last time but this is a significant step up in class.

Mike McCann: The winner of a bumper at Perth, he has been beaten in both his starts in maiden hurdles and is unlikely to feature.

Princely Conn: The winner of a bumper at the Galway Festival and a maiden hurdle at Punchestown, he was put in his place in Grade 3 company at Navan last time and doesn’t make much appeal at this level.

Tandem: Rated 105 on the flat, he let favourite backers down on his hurdling debut at the Galway Festival but easily made amends when winning a maiden hurdle at Navan in September. Open to improvement and is a contender.

Allez Colombieres: The winner of three AQPS flat races in France and despite not having run over hurdles in Ireland yet, he has been the ante-post favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for quite some time. This represents a tough task for his hurdling debut but his reputation precedes him.

Nichols Canyon: Rated no less than 111 on the flat, he made a satisfactory winning hurdling debut at Cork earlier this month having raced quite freely and made some niggly jumping errors. Very much open to improvement, but is his stable’s second string.

Verdict

With a previous list of winners that reads as a who’s who of Irish hurdling, this contest has proven time and again to be the best early indicator of future hurdling stardom in the Irish racing calendar. This year’s renewal is all about the much talked about Allez Colombieres and while he doesn’t appeal as a betting proposition, he is difficult to oppose.