Sport

Sigma Dotcomm sound bet

RACING: In the only handicap chase on the card at Naas tomorrow Noel Meade saddles Sigma Dotcomm (2.15)

Sat Jan 04 2003 - 00:00

RACING: In the only handicap chase on the card at Naas tomorrow Noel Meade saddles Sigma Dotcomm (2.15). This seven-year-old was having only his second run since early in the year and was in need of the race when third to Eskimo Joe at Navan a fortnight ago after leading from five out in the Santa Claus Handicap Chase.

A week later Noel himself played the role of Santa Claus for one of my colleagues Tony O'Hehir by winning the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown with Coq Hardi Diamond. This 14 to 1 chance enabled Tony, riding a race of which Harry "The Head Waiter" Wragg would have been proud, to get up in the last stride and pip Michael Clower in the Irish Field naps competition.

Should Sigma Dotcomm derive the expected improvement from the Navan race he can reverse placings with the top weight Gregorio.

Barry Geraghty provided his own shares of naps for his followers at Christmas and Greywell (3.15) may continue the winning streak. The handicapper has lifted him by 20lb in the last month even though his winning margins were three lengths or less. It may sound penal treatment but this smart bumper horse had actually commenced winning off a mark of 70 and that is only 10lb above the bottom rating that Noel O'Brien will be working off in 2003.

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Thus when handicappers start winning off ratings as miserable as that, hat-tricks are often within their compass and Greywell fits the profile. The opposition includes Dangerousdanmagru who ran fourth to Chopneyev in a Ladbroke-sponsored handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter before Christmas.

Like so many of the non handicap graded races, the Woodlands Park 100 Slaney Novice Hurdle has failed to draw enough runners to ensure win and place betting and enough quality to guarantee some opposition for Limestone Lad's stable companion Solerina.

At Leopardstown she was also scheduled to meet four rivals but in the upshot only Central House took her on and in the opinion of the winning jockey Ruby Walsh, the pair went too fast from the start. The gallop certainly put paid to any chance that Central House might have had.