Sligo Tuesday 18th May

For anyone that has watched any racing from Sligo, you would be familiar with the assessment that it is much like a right-handed version of Chester. Tight bends, virtually always on the turn, and as such an inside draw can be very favourable – particularly over the 6f trip, at which the three opening races on today’s card are run.

The opening All 350 Boylesports Shops Now Open Claiming Race at 2.00 has a few in-form performers drawn low, most notably Eleuthera and Born Invincible in stalls 4 and 2 respectively. They were second and fourth in a 5f handicap at Navan on Saturday, and as such, take out a fair chunk of the market. As well they might.

However, both wouldn’t be obvious pacesetters, and an inside draw can quickly become tricky if horses drawn outside go forward and grab the rail. Traffic problems are a potential sticking point for their chances, for all that Donagh O’Connor and Seamie Heffernan will be alive to such troubles. In addition to this, they were both very much favoured by racing on the stands side at Navan, when there was a significant track bias to those drawn high over sprint distances.

It could be more prudent to take the 12/1 each-way with Coral about No Speed Limit, drawn in stall 7, (set to become stall 6 as one of the reserves is in stall 5.) Both firms are the only ones to offer four places for each-way bets on the race, and will do as long as 12 or more stand their ground.

While Eleuthera and Born Invincible benefitted from being on the right part of the track last time, No Speed Limit very much didn’t, when he was seventh in a 5f handicap at Naas ten days ago. That day at Naas, it was double figure draws that were advantaged, and No Speed Limit, having broke very well from stall 9, led the smaller far side group for a long way, before just being claimed by the in-form Celtic Manor and Trueba.

Eventually finishing third of the far side group was a very creditable effort from No Speed Limit, who has been running well all spring, without quite getting the rub of the green.

Today could be the day that Patrick McKenna’s sprinter finds the cards falling for him, and if Luke McAteer can get a prominent sit no less than one horse off the rail in the early skirmishes, then the 12/1 about No Speed Limit with Coral could look very tasty indeed.