Westerner Lady© Photo Healy Racing
Westerner Lady returns to action in the Paddy Power Now On The Racing Post App Handicap Hurdle at Killarney on Wednesday evening and she is likely to be popular after a lucrative 2015.
The Willie Mullins-trained mare picked up three victories last year, claiming a bumper, a maiden hurdle and a novice hurdle when last seen at Cork in October.
There are dangers aplenty though, with three-time bumper winner Prickly chief among them. He warmed up for this with a dead-heat in a flat handicap at Limerick last month.
Aidan O'Brien has farmed the Rentokil Initial Maiden by taking six of the last eight renewals. He introduces Galileo colt Crocodile Shoes who lines up against stablemates Successor and Three Star General Ringside Humour goes for her hat-trick in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Fillies Handicap. An 8lb rise makes life more difficult but she is the one to beat. Bad Penny on her first start for Ross O'Sullivan, could come good in the Killarney Avenue/Munster Joinery Handicap. She wasn't beaten far into third and fourth at Hamilton and Nottingham respectively.
The Malton Handicap is ferociously competitive. Xsquared has mixed steeplechasing and the Flat to great effect in running up a treble. He won't be stopping at the end of two miles here. Oathkeeper cruised in at Listowel in June and will be a warm order when trying obstacles for the first time in the Ladbrokes Ireland Maiden Hurdle. Seaboard might appreciate the better ground in the Meet The Roses At The Races (Ladies Pro/Am) Flat Race where Bensachuine could keep him honest.
