Irish ready for tough Newcastle going

There are three Irish raiders at Newcastle today with Andrew Lynch getting the leg-up on two of them, starting off on Robbie Hennessy's Maddoxtown in the opening Parklands Golf Course Maiden Hurdle at 1.40.

This Luso gelding has his fourth start for Hennessy and his father Bill here, having been bought out of the Tony Mullins yard after running respectably in a couple of bumpers. He is a half-brother to that decent mare of Michael Hourigan's The Screamer and many will remember that she achieved the biggest of her six wins in the Listed Smithwicks Beer Handicap Hurdle at the Listowel Festival in 2004. This is also the family of the useful staying chaser On The Twist.

Maddoxtown now has his first start outside bumper company and the five-year-old should prove well-suited to the jumping game although a doubt has been expressed about his ability to handle the heavy going.

An hour later Lynch is on Jim Dreaper's Dallas Doll in the Gosforth Decorating And Building Services Mares' Maiden Hurdle.

This one, representing Jim Dreaper and her owner/breeder Siobhan Madden, has a couple of non-descript efforts to her name but it should be noted that her dam, Coco Girl is a half-sister to Sausalito Bay.

Meanwhile Barry Potts, who pre-trains for Pat and Tilly Conway at their Magherafelt base and now has the former Dreaper stable star Notre Pere under his tutelage, sends the interesting Niki Royal into battle under Eddie O'Connell in the same two mile six furlong event as Dallas Doll.

From the family of Oa Baldixe, Niki Royal won the best-turned out prize prior to her debut in a Kirkistown point-to-point back in November and the strong bay daughter of Nikos got home by half a length under Jamie Codd that day.

Potts commented on the day: "She was only out for a bit of education, she may go for another point before heading to the track. She's a three-mile chaser in the making."

The other Irish-challenger 'cross the pond' today is Seamus Fahey's Indian St Jovite in the 1.50, the Enhanced SP's At bluesq.com Handicap at Southwell. Cathy Gannon will be aboard this outsider.