Back Coolnaharan

Coolnaharan the Robe banker

Punting
Michael Duffy

BALLINROBE stages its third meeting of the year this evening and hopefully the weather will replicate the glorious sunshine which sprayed all over Mayo’s only racetrack yesterday (Monday).
The action gets underway at 6pm with the Connaught Telegraph Handicap over nine furlongs and David Wachman’s penchant for producing debut handicap winners means Heaven Bound is the one to be on in what looks a weak enough race.
Teach Nua is a very interesting runner in the evening’s second event, the Treacy’s Pharmacies Auction Maiden. This four-year-old has hacked up in two recent bumpers over two miles so if appears he may be running over this nine furlong distance with a view to getting a handicap mark ahead of the Galway Festival. With Dermot Weld in such good form, he can’t be seriously opposed.
The Eamon Sheridan Plant Hire Handicap is the third race and a chance is taken on Stylish Bid putting her putting his best foot forward as Pat Smullen takes the ride on Michael Joe Fitzgerald’s six-year-old for the first time.
The first national hunt race of the evening is sponsored by racecourse PRO Ger Geraghty’s Financial Advisory business in Westport. We think Coolnaharan should take some stopping. He ran a cracker behind Swiss Cottage at Wexford and with Shane Hassett taking five off here, he looks the one to be on.
The Ladbrokes.com Mares Handicap Hurdle is a wide open affair where the local Tuffy Ten Syndicate will be hoping Tubber Gael Holly can win her second race of the season. She looks to have every chance and is given the nod ahead of dark horse, Caltra Royale from the Charles Byrnes’ yard.
The penultimate event is sponsored by Ballinrobe Tool and Hire and Paddy the Ref will be hard to beat here if reproducing the form he showed behind Define on his hurdling debut at Killarney. Our Eric looks the main danger.
The final race is the FBD Insurance Flat Race and Nina Carberry followers will surely be on Cloone Stream, who ran against some good bumper horses on his two starts and will appreciate the good ground. Enjoy a cracking evening’s racing.

GAELIC GAMES
NO matter what state Waterford hurling have been in over the past while — and plenty of that time has been spent on a high — the Deise almost always find it difficult to shake off Clare. That Justin McCarthy and co have to travel west at the weekend for their opening Munster championship outing is one thing, but travelling without a whole host of injured stars is another. Clare have been waiting in the long grass for this game for months and at 9/4 in some places they are well worth an interest.
Outsiders worth a second look too are Donegal, who ‘enjoyed’ a low-profile league campaign in anticipation of a right assault on the Ulster football championship this summer. Brian McIver obviously learnt from last year’s springtime excesses and this time around it’s Donegal who people know less about. Derry, on the other hand, are still coming down from beating Kerry in the Division One league final and they’ll get quite a test in Ballybofey on Sunday. At around 7/4, with home advantage, Donegal appeal most.

EPSOM OAKS
IT was a super weekend at the Curragh for Aidan O’Brien, and soon the Ballydoyle maestro will be turning his attention towards Epsom - as we will be in next week’s edition.
Before that we’ll nab some of the 10/1 available on Cape Amber for the Epsom Oaks. With Jim Bolger not intending to send Lush Lashes to Epsom, instead keeping her for the Curragh, the horses she put to the sword in the recent Musidora come back into the equation.
Top of the list of those is Cape Amber, the apple of trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam’s eye. She was beaten all of five lengths by Lush Lashes but it was her first run of the season and she wasn’t thrown about when her chance had petered out. At 10/1 she could look a cracking bet in ten days time.