As Irish prizemoney continues to escalate and ever more horses come into training, an excess of maiden hurdlers and bad flat handicappers are threatening the image of the sport. This aspect is brought sharply into focus at Navan this afternoon when the richest purse of the weekend, the £15,000 Coolmore Danehill Dancer Race, is the first race on the programme.
In fairness to the management, with another odds-on Ballydoyle juvenile almost certainly guaranteed, they probably wisely decided that a 30-runner maiden hurdle would pose a far bigger problem for punters chasing a Jackpot carryover of £10,000. Of one thing you can be certain, Aidan O'Brien's Joplin has a far better chance of making an impact in the future than the winner of the hurdle race, in which the selection is the appropriately named Cad A Ra Leat.
He may have run poorly on his last start but his Gowran Park hurdles effort when fourth to Copernicus has since been given a boost by Ride The Tide and Green Light.
Kevin Prendergast upset an O'Brien odds-on two-year-old Bargello at Tipperary on Thursday evening and his runner in the first, America Calling, has two good performances already to her credit. She was pipped on her debut at Fairyhouse by Bonnard and then ran up against Beckett at Leopardstown.
Joplin can, however, become the third Ballydoyle juvenile to whom she plays second fiddle. Southbay, an improved bumpers horse, can profit from a modest hurdle rating established when he was not the horse he is now and he is napped him to win the Oldcastle Handicap Hurdle.
If the richest race at Navan is the first, the best National Hunt race is placed 15 minutes ahead of the charity race. Pat Martin's horses are running well and his mare, Crystal Springs, was in no way flattered by the two-length winning margin over Felcity's Pet in a stayers' hurdle at Fairyhouse.
The opposition to her in the Delvin Handicap Hurdle includes five winners last time out. Of this group perhaps the best each-way prospect is the Dundalk winner Kamactay.
Charlie Swan can open up at Roscommon tomorrow with a double-double, for he trains as well as rides Donadino (2-30) and Hot Bunny (3.00). Donadino was made favourite for a two-mile handicap chase at Punchestown last month and punters has seen no reason for discarding their betting slips when he tracked the leaders into the second last fence. Tacolino took a tumble here and Donadino was brought down.
Things went better for Hot Bunny in an amateur riders' handicap hurdle at Leopardstown, for she was in such control from the second last bend onwards that not even mistakes at the final two jumps put her advantage in jeopardy.
After two consecutives second placings Pat Smullen's mount, Worldly Treasure, is napped to contain Insenor in the Budweiser Maiden. He did not produce his proper form at Naas when, a 2 to 5 favourite, he could not cut down First Son.
Gossie Madera (4-00) is returning to form and last year he won three times and closed his season with seven consecutive starts in which he either won or was placed.
