Killarney – Thursday 14th July

Luck was not on our side yesterday as Bella Bliss, who was coming to win her race at Downpatrick, almost departed at the final flight, and thus gave away any winning opportunity. That would have ensured a profit on the day so it was a tough one to take, but we have to try and bounce back and get the ball rolling on our court again. Luckily, the racing at Killarney now switches to jumps racing, so there are plenty of chances to try and have a decent day this evening. 

The opener on the card is a maiden hurdle over 2m4f and this looks an open enough heat with a few of these having more than a point to prove. I am going to take a chance on one of those types, and hope the application of blinkers can get the best out of Glenglass, who has been a disappointment over hurdles so far and needs to improve on what he has shown the last two times. However, prior to that, he was a good second behind a talented horse called Snake Oil, and he is a bumper winner as well – so there is clearly a lot of ability in there that has not yet come out. If putting his best foot forward, I have no doubt that he is going to have a huge say in this race and I am the trusting type – so I will be siding with him and his in-form team. At a price of 9/4 with Bet365, I am hoping it’s a winning start. 

It is a case of rinse and repeat for me thirty minutes later as we take on the 2m4f mares hurdle at 5.30. I am liking the horse for the exact same connections in Hollymount, who now has found the winning thread and could be dangerous if this mare continues to shine in the summer sunshine. She had become frustrating to follow, especially given her big price tag, when not getting off the mark in maidens over the winter, but she followed up a cosy Ballinrobe win with a decisive victory over in Ayr. That should have given the horse plenty of confidence and I would be hopeful she could be one of these horses that continues to thrive now she has seen what the winners enclosure feels like. At a price of 2/1 generally, let’s hope for a quick fire double.

The 7.00 race is the second division of the 2m4f handicap hurdle for horses rated between 80-95 and despite this race not being the best race on the card quality wise, it makes up due to its competitive nature. I have decided to side with last year’s winner of this race, Da Big Fella – who has clearly been a difficult horse to keep right but won this race after a very similar preparation and absence last season. He is a solid horse who if ready to rock, which I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t, should have a big say in this type of race and could be one to run above what his odds might suggest. At a price of 9/1 with SkyBet, who are offering 6 places, he should be backed each way. 

And the final selection of the day comes in the 7.30 race, which is the feature event on the card and this 2m1f handicap hurdle has a nice little pot to be won by some decent sorts. I perhaps should be letting this horse go by, but I am still intrigued to see how far down in the weights that Zoffanien will drop before he strikes and I have decided that despite being off top weight tonight, a mark of 126 is more than lenient given some of the races he has won this time last year. He won a very good standard handicap at Ballinrobe off 132 last year and if he has any aspirations of even sneaking into the Galway Hurdle this season, he would want to be winning tonight. It is a risk, but I am taking that chance that he can rediscover that form that has been missing for a long time. At a price of 9/1 with SkyBet, who are offering 4 places, he should also be backed each way.