'Emmet Mullins is a shrewd operator' - Connections to follow in Ireland this weekend Irish racing fans have been spoiled in the last month or so and as such, we have a quieter weekend on the cards. Fairyhouse hosts a competitive meeting on Saturday, whilst they also race at Navan on Sunday. Picking out winners is never an easy task so we’ve provided a helping hand by picking out an owner, trainer and jockey to follow across the weekend. Owner - Gigginstown House Stud The famous maroon and white silks of Gigginstown have been represented by some excellent horses over the years and the operation appears to have some very interesting potential runners over the next few days. There are two Gigginstown horses in Fairyhouse’s opener and the Gordon Elliott-trained Jacob’s Ladder was a graded winner over hurdles last term. He’s set to face off against Willie Mullins’ Karamoja, who placed in the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle. The Enabler finished third in a warm race at Punchestown last month and there should be more to come from him over fences, as he lines up in Fairyhouse’s second race. Drop A Threat makes just his second start under rules in the three-mile maiden hurdle. Navan’s Listed bumper has several Gigginstown horses entered, all of which won a bumper last time out and Unflinching could be the best of the bunch, although Ballyfad shouldn’t be easily dismissed either. Trainer - Emmet Mullins Emmet Mullins is a shrewd operator and it’s usually a good idea to keep an eye on the market when he has a runner. His most exciting entry of the weekend is probably McLaurey, who won a Listed handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival in February. Things didn’t go to plan in the County Hurdle, but he put in a decent performance to finish fourth in a decent beginners’ chase at Thurles last month. Improvement seems likely this time around and we haven’t seen the best of him over fences yet. Ballycrystal point-to-point winner Melbourne Shamrock was hampered when fourth in a Thurles novice last time and may well have finished closer. Three miles should suit him but he probably needs to improve a fair amount, although he’s entitled to do so. The unraced Spring Elegance is a distant relative of the very smart chaser and hurdler Oscar Whisky and two of her half-sisters managed to win bumpers, which definitely bodes well. Jockey - Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott’s good recent form has been excellent for stable jockey Jack Kennedy, who has ridden 12 winners in the last fortnight at a very impressive strike-rate. He’ll be looking to chase down Darragh O’Keeffe with some more winners over the weekend. The aforementioned Jacob’s Ladder should be winning over fences before long and the horse who finished behind him at Naas a couple of starts ago has boosted the form by winning since. This could be a good opportunity to get off the mark as a chaser. Wackestone ran three times on the Flat and ran well to finish third behind a stablemate at Navan when last seen. He’s set to run in the three-year-old maiden at Fairyhouse, whilst Bally Free could be one to watch in a maiden hurdle later on the card.
