Gordon Elliott has a remarkably busy weekend ahead with 27 horses in contention to run across all four meeting in Ireland, although it is Wrath Of Titans who can once again prove to be the headline act at Limerick on Sunday.
Last month’s Kerry National hero is one of half a dozen Gigginstown Stud-owned hopefuls for the €100,000 JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National and on the face of it has quite a difficult task.
He is without the 7lbs claim which Lisa O’Neill so stylishly employed on board Wrath Of Titans at Listowel and is up almost a stone in official ratings on the basis of that five-length defeat of Rightville Boy, who he meets again.
New dangers
Ground conditions at Limerick are not likely to be so testing either and there are a number of new dangers, including the bottom-weight, On Fiddlers Green, who is one of a quartet pitched into the race by last year's winning trainer, Henry De Bromhead.
Nevertheless it’s not hard to see why Gigginstown’s number one rider Bryan Cooper has opted for Wrath Of Titans. The horse appeared to step up considerably at Listowel and looks the sort with the potential to progress again.
In contrast, Elliott's great rival Willie Mullins has a relatively quiet weekend ahead with just three runners and two of those, Rennetti and Laws of Spin, are in Cesarewitch action on the flat at Newmarket and the Curragh respectively.
His sole jumps performer will be Screaming Rose in Limerick’s Listed Hurdle on Sunday, so with Elliott running 10 National Hunt horses alone at Fairyhouse’s opening National Hunt programme of the season today – and with apparently good chances of four winners – the way looks clear for the title challenger to regain the lead in the trainers championship.
The leader in the jockeys title, Jack Kennedy, returns from injury at Fairyhouse, while the sweep of Elliott’s influence will also take in the flat with a handful of runners at the Curragh on Sunday, including four in the €100,000 Tote Cesarewitch.
It is a typically competitive- looking renewal but it could pay to bank on Swamp Fox still being ahead of the handicapper.
Joe Murphy’s stalwart was a winner of the big amateur handicap at the Galway festival and is 9lbs higher for that now. Since then, however, Swamp Fox has easily scored in Listowel’s Lartigue Hurdle.
