11.53 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Beginners Chase 2m

Having joined Ian Donoghue from the Nicky Henderson yard, Break My Soul shaped up nicely on each of her three runs over hurdles for new connections earlier in the year and could be up to making a winning start over fences. Her effort behind long odds-on favourite Kitzbuhel in the Grade 3 Red Mills Hurdle here in February was promising, and subsequent efforts at Grade 1 level at the Aintree and Punchestown festivals also read quite well.

Just about the best of these over hurdles, she’s preferred to the relatively lightly-raced Lantry Lady, twice a winner over hurdles at this course a couple of seasons ago. A warm favourite for a mares’ beginners’ chase over two and a half miles at Naas at the start of the year, she was well held behind Fun Fun Fun and now drops back to the minimum trip for her second outing over fences.

It’s disappointing that Qualimita failed to win over hurdles but she might well come into her own over fences and could pose more of a threat to the likely principals than both Diamond Nora and The Great Nudie.

SELECTION: BREAK MY SOUL

Next best: Lantry Lady

12.28 Gerry Comerford Drilling Beginners Chase 2m 4f

Jerisk Star has saved his best for Gowran Park to date. He finished runner-up in a bumper here on his debut back in early 2023 and just a month ago landed a handicap hurdle here over this distance. That was a fair effort, making much of the running to score on his first start since March, and perhaps the recent outing gives him an extra edge.

He should go close again in a race restricted to horses rated 110 or less over hurdles and might score at the main expense of the consistent John The Diva, which was a handicap hurdle winner here in March and ran well when third to the likeable Happy Jacky in a far stronger beginners’ chase at Kilbeggan in late April.

An early mistake did nothing for the chances of Tell Us This when he made his chasing debut at Downpatrick a month ago and he might be considered along with Brucejack, runner-up in this race a year ago, and Jacovec Cavern, desperately unlucky not to win a handicap hurdle at Cork in March and one that should be more than competitive at this level on the best of his form.

SELECTION: JERISK STAR

Next best: John The Diva

1.03 Noreside Catering

Handicap Chase 2m

The King Of Prs will handle the testing ground and might well add to his big win in the Grade 3 SBK Dan and Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase over a trip close to this at Fairyhouse in January. That success came on the back of a couple of good runs late last year and he again ran with some credit in big handicap chases at three of the big spring festivals.

Henry de Bromhead has found three for the race and high-flying Darragh O’Keeffe sides with the least exposed runner in the field, Downmexicoway. He has his first run in a handicap chase here after making a winning start to his career over fences in a good-ground beginners’ chase at Killarney in August and then finishing runner-up to the smart Gold Dancer in a Grade 3 novice chase at Tipperary early last month.

His stable-companion Champagne Mahler landed a nice pot over this course and distance in March and is certainly another to consider. The veteran Rebel Gold was a winner at Wexford in April, but has far more to do to take this.

SELECTION: THE KING OF PRS

Next best: Downmexicoway

1.38 PRL Group 4-Y-O Maiden Hurdle (Division 1) 2m

Latopix starts out for Henry de Bromhead having arrived from France, via a spell in England. A winner at Vichy in May 2024, she didn’t show all that much when favourite for a junior bumper at Doncaster at the end of the year and was again down the field when an outsider for a listed bumper at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. It might be very different now that she starts out over hurdles and she might put it up to a few point-to-point recruits.

Harty Cup makes his racecourse debut for Robert Tyner having finished third in Belclare in March of this year, while Bergamasquo was runner-up to last weekend’s Down Royal bumper winner Skerry Hill on the first of his three point-to-point runs and now turns out for Gavin Cromwell.

Maverick Mack has his second start for Gordon Elliott and will need to improve on his bumper run at Punchestown last month to figure, while the wraps are taken off Barry Connell’s Mart Lane for the first time making him another to note.

SELECTION: LATOPIX

Next best: Harty Cup

2.13 PRL Group 4-Y-O Maiden Hurdle (Division 2) 2m

There is far more racecourse form to go on for the second division of this race and the bumper winner Tim Toe all but jumps off the page. He scored for Pat Doyle at Thurles in March, readily seeing off a couple of fancied rivals including Galileo Sand which went on to win bumpers at Killarney in July and August. Tim Toe returns in new colours and for a new trainer and makes plenty of appeal.

Foxy Footprints shaped with some promise on her bumper debut at Punchestown last month and is certainly open to more improvement as is Jacko Star, which went well at Navan in March and again on his return this season at Roscommon in late September.

Likealightswitch is far more exposed, but her recent outings here and at Sligo must count for something, while point-to-point recruit Sticktothescript was second best to the promising With Nolimit at Liscarroll in March and could go well again.

SELECTION: TIM TOE

Next best: Foxy Footprints

2.45 Proficient Engineering Irish EBF Maiden Hurdle 2m

It’s quite a while since The Passing Wife was last seen, but his bumper form looks rock solid and he’s taken to make a winning return on his second start over hurdles. While a three-time bumper winner in all, his placed form reads quite well too, finishing runner-up to Redemption Day at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival and then third behind Wingmen and Queensbury Boy at the Punchestown Festival in 2024. He backed that up with comfortable wins at Bellewstown and at the Galway Festival in the same year, but it is a concern that he hasn’t been in action since.

Skylight Hustle shaped as a future winner when taking fourth spot behind De Temps En Temps at Fairyhouse at the beginning of this year. Sent off favourite on that occasion after winning a point-to-point, he did finish marginally ahead of this afternoon’s rival Thedeviluno, which has since finished runner-up in three bumpers, most recently behind the two-time hurdle winner Strong Link.

Madame Masque was a point-to-point winner in late 2023 and she has her first run for Henry de Bromhead on her return.

SELECTION: THE PASSING WIFE

Next best: Skylight Hustle

3.20 GAIN Equine Nutrition

Novice Handicap Hurdle 2m

Six of the 10 runners are running in a handicap hurdle for the first time. Los Blanco is one of them and he’s taken to defy top-weight after three runs in what look to be decent maiden hurdles. He was running for the first time since April, when a narrow runner-up to Ma Jacks Hill here early last month and the latter went well in a novice hurdle at Galway next time.

Los Blanco’s own stable companion Dschingis Dragon won her maiden hurdle over this course and distance a month ago and she’s not easily discounted. Kate Knows Best was a maiden hurdle winner at Sligo in May and went well again, a place behind Ma Jacks Hill, at Galway at the end of last month.

Allo Al Khawaneej is more exposed than most and has yet to run on ground this testing, while Fierce Handay is another of those running in a handicap hurdle for the first time and could be open to more improvement.

SELECTION: LOS BLANCO

Next best: Dschingis Dragon

3.55 Pat Carroll’s Pub Kilkenny Mares Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f

A chance is taken on Another Girl, which was much improved on her most recent start. She was nicely ahead of the third-placed Rebelle Chaud, a rival again, when runner-up to the very well fancied Ag Obair Go Crua over a trip close to this here last month and might now be better again with more cut in the ground.

There is no shortage of recent winning form on offer. Cousin Kate has her first start in a handicap hurdle after taking a maiden hurdle at Tramore a little over four weeks ago, while on the same day, May Call You Back scored in a handicap chase, a win that pushed her rating over fences to 107. Also at the top of today’s handicap is Morell River, the winner of an identical race to this at Wexford at the end of last month.

Watty Show had her first start for Henry de Bromhead, and her first start in nine months, in a stronger race at the Listowel festival and she can go closer this time.

SELECTION: ANOTHER GIRL

Next best: Watty Show