Flat To The Max© Photo Healy Racing
There is some juice in the going at Gowran today and the yielding ground description is not lost on trainers who have taken the opportunity to declare 115 runners for the eight races.
The opening three maiden hurdles have attracted 17, 18 and 19 runners respectively, with racing beginning with a split in the Thanks To Our Customers Maiden Hurdle, for three-year-olds.
Trainer Gordon Elliott sends out Flat To The Max in the opening divide and connections will certainly be hoping for much better from the ex-Ger Lyons-trained gelding.
The son of Maxios unshipped his rider at the first flight at Ballinrobe in September, when the 11-10 favourite, and then blotted his copybook for a second time when fading tamely in the home straight at Fairyhouse on November 6, when a strongly-fancied 11-8 chance.
Other hurdles form is very thin in the race, but a very notable newcomer to hurdling is smart ex-flat racer Tiger Voice who makes his debut for trainer Henry de Bromhead.
The French-bred gelding was a winner at Fontainebleau in March, before showing smart form to finish second in a Listed race that same month and is clearly a talented type who makes his jumps debut at the ‘correct’ time of year.
Champion trainer Willie Mullins sends out just one runner at the meeting, Epswell in the Ladbrokes Novice Hurdle, and he has plenty to prove having pulled up on his latest start at Galway.
Epswell is one of four previous hurdle winners in the race, but preference is for Jessica Harrington’s hurdling debutant and exciting prospect Sizing Pottsie
Sizing Pottsie was a bumper winner on debut at Leopardstown in March and while he was then beaten in a valuable sales bumper at Fairyhouse, that run came just three weeks later and he is sure to be nicely tuned for his hurdles debut.
The Pat Flynn-trained, JP McManus-owned Buttons And Bows is a likely danger having won her own hurdles debut at Cork earlier this month.
Most valuable event on the day is the 20,000 euro Talbot Hotel Carlow Chase, which has attracted the smallest field with just six runners but sees the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Wishmoor bid to complete a hat-trick of wins but for different trainers.
The gelding won twice at Naas last January and February for Mouse Morris, but has now joined Joseph O’Brien.
However his lack of a recent outing is a concern and preference is for the similarly-owned and Elliott-trained Tycoon Prince who made his comeback when finishing an albeit well enough held second in a Grade Three contest at Naas recently, but who is a capable performer on his day.
