Killarney – Wednesday 14th July

I was delighted to be able to have another profitable day for Which Bookie followers yesterday, after a win in the lucky last in Killarney saving my blushes for the day. After Mr Jackman and Anyonecanhaveitall ran respectable but ultimately, non-winning races – it was down to Mona’s Melody to supply the goods in the Qualified Riders Maiden. It was a very well judged ride from Pa King, who is underused at times in these sorts of events. I put Mona’s Melody up at 17/2 the night before the race, and she went off at the SP of 7/2. There was a Rule 4 factored into that, but it was still a lovely winner to finish the day. 

There are two selections coming from myself today, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this good bit of form can last as long as possible. Both selections are coming from Killarney this evening, which so far this week has been friendly to me during their summer festival. Starting off with the 5.55 – which is the feature ‘Cairn Rouge’ Stakes over 1m. This is a fillies and mares race for 3YO plus, but only the one older horse lines up in this contest. I am usually not one to overcomplicate the uncomplicated – and therefore I am looking straight down the lense of market leader Mehnah in this race. 

There is always an element of these impeccably bred Shadwell horses that you just want to be superstars. As much as there has not been much to work with so far in terms of form for Mehnah, it looks like she may well be a bit above average. She made her debut for Kevin Prendergast at Dundalk last September, where she put in a very taking performance to win a 7f maiden from Fantasy Lady. The second horse is now rated 99 and the third is rated 92, so the form looked robust for a maiden at that track. We unfortunately didn’t see her again till April this year, when putting in a fine performance to finish a fast finishing second in the 1,000 Guineas trial at that venue. 

The form of that race gives out slightly mixed signals, as the winner has not been since then. That being said, the 6th (Joan of Arc) and the 10th (Empress Josephine) have both gone on to win Classics this year since. Joan of Arc was brilliant in the Prix De Diane, while Empress Josephine nailed the former on the line in the Irish 1000 Guineas. This all bodes well for Mehnah heading into this race, with the step up in trip to a mile being a massive aid for this horse. At a best price of 7/4 with Ladbrokes, I am hoping that this Kevin Prendergast filly lives up to the lofty expectations set upon her.

 My second selection of the day comes in the final race of the day at Killarney, the 1m3f handicap at 7.55. I am going to be taking a chance on a mare who has been out of sorts of late, but might just be returning to a handicap mark that she can be competitive off. Ally Cay is the type of mare that John McConnell was very good at placing last summer, and she won on stable debut for this yard off a basement mark. She has yet to add to that tally for this team, but has run with plenty of credit on a number of different occasions.

Ally Cay has been disappointing in her two starts so far this year, but she has now returned to a mark of 60, and I feel that a good run might not be too far away. She is a hold up horse, which can sometimes be tricky at Killarney, so I’m hoping that the early fractions are honest and that she can potentially pounce off a faltering price. She is 18/1 with SkyBet with 4 places available, which I believe is not a bad price for a mare that could be quite close to coming back to a competitive weight for a race of this nature. I will be having an each way play.