Aidan O'Brien Contender Headlines Leopardstown Tips

Leopardstown provides the action in Ireland on Thursday and it’s an above average seven-race card, especially for a midweek fixture, and the €100,000 Nasrullah Handicap is one of the highlights, alongside the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes.

An interesting fillies' maiden opens the card at 17:00 and the action concludes at 20:30 with the Hurling For Cancer Research Supported By Centra On 18th August (Q.R.) Race.

Our expert has picked out three strong fancies to follow, including a progressive Aidan O’Brien runner in the big handicap.

Selections

17:35 Leopardstown - Bonus Time

Paddy Twomey is a shrewd operator and he runs the very lightly raced three-year-old BONUS TIME in this race. Her dam was a winner over 6f but there’s some stamina in the pedigree too. This is her first run in a handicap and she looks very dangerous.

She made her debut in a Cork maiden over 6f in May and ran well to finish second behind an impressive winner, coming home well clear of the third. Going one better at the Curragh next time, she comfortably got the better of subsequent winner Cold Hearted.

Bonus Time has since left Gavin Cromwell’s yard and makes her first start for new connections. The handicapper has allotted her an opening mark of 89, which doesn’t look ridiculous, and there could be any amount of improvement to come now tackling handicaps.

18:10 Leopardstown - Vera’s Secret

Aidan O’Brien is usually the trainer to follow in Irish Group races but he has never won this before and his runner seems unlikely to end that statistic. John James Feane runs the progressive and lightly raced mare VERA’S SECRET and she gets the nod.

She has taken her form to a whole new level this season and the six-year-old produced a career-best performance to win a course and distance Group 3 in May. Seamie Heffernan was also on board that day and the pair were always in complete control.

Positive tactics were employed and she made all the running, eventually kicking clear to score by four lengths. Things didn’t quite go to plan over a mile next time and she was too keen early on in that Group 2 contest, which was won by Porta Fortuna.

Going back down to 7f should suit with that in mind and a reproduction of her Leopardstown form would make her very hard to beat. Her rivals have at least 4lb to find according to the official ratings and a return to winning ways is expected.

19:20 Leopardstown - Mississippi River

It’s not too often that Aidan O’Brien’s horses have low enough ratings to run in handicaps but when they do, it’s always worth considering them. MISSISSIPPI RIVER is probably on the cusp of being in the handicapper’s grasp but he should be capable of winning a decent pot.

The son of Lope De Vega failed to win in three starts as a two-year-old but did finish second to stablemate and subsequent Group 1 winner Twain.

After getting off the mark in a maiden over a mile at Navan in April, he returned to winning ways with an impressive success here on his penultimate start.

It was a fair effort when runner-up over this trip in handicap company at the Curragh last time out and a 3lb rise doesn’t look unreasonable.

He’s the only three-year-old in the field and as such, is the only recipient of a very handy 10lb allowance. It remains to be seen if he has too much wriggle room with a rating of 98 but it’s entirely possible that he can become a three-figure horse by winning here.