Dorans Pride takes what could be the first step towards Cheltenham Gold Cup glory this season when he lines up for the £50,000 Guinness Kerry National at Listowel today. And only the very brave or foolish will dismiss his chance, despite his carrying top-weight.
It will be a poignant afternoon when many at Listowel will be thinking about Dorans Pride's former partner, Shane Broderick, but the young man's morale should get a boost with a victory for the horse he memorably rode into third place in last March's Gold Cup.
His chance in steeplechasing's greatest prize looked to have been effectively scuppered by the very firm ground that day, but he ran a blinder behind Mr Mulligan and Barton Bank. The ground at Listowel is drying out quickly but it won't be anything like it was then.
Of greater worry is that Dorans Pride hasn't raced seriously since landing the Power Gold Cup at Punchestown on April 1st and also the weight concession to some very decent handicappers, headed by Idiots Venture.
Idiots Venture, however, has had a very hard summer's work and bigger dangers may lurk further down the handicap. Heist and Lord Singapore were first and third, with Idiot's Venture second, at Galway, but Heist's jumping could let him down here and Lord Singapore may emerge best of those three.
New Co is another very smart handicapper who at his best would come right into the reckoning, but ultimately this race should centre on Dorans Pride and the indisputable nature of his class.
A former champion staying hurdler and only beaten over fences in the Gold Cup and when falling at Thurles in February, Dorans Pride is a genuine Gold Cup prospect. As regards his fitness, he had a nice spin over a mile at the Curragh on Saturday in the charity race for his former jockey; and Michael Hourigan trained Deep Bramble to win this race, after a similarly long break, in 1993. Dorans Pride to beat Lord Singapore is the forecast.
Richard Dunwoody could also be on the mark in the previous conditions hurdle with Dermot Weld's Munif. Runner-up to Kohoutek in his only race over hurdles at Galway, Munif's hurdling should have improved significantly for the experience and, if that proves the case, this smart flat handicapper's speed should be decisive.
The ground drying out is a worry for Mallow trainer Eugene O'Sullivan about his Sam Vaughan, who nevertheless looks to have an outstanding chance in the Seamus Mulvaney Handicap Chase. He trotted up on very soft ground at Tralee and subsequently had another chase at his mercy at Clonmel, only to fall at the last. As long as some juice remains in the going, Sam Vaughan should compensate today.
The ratings put Candereli in with a winning shout in the opening maiden, and while those ratings may flatter him, he will still be hard to beat.
