Stroll Home to do that

The build-up to the summer's big chasing prize, the Galway Plate, continues at Tipperary tomorrow with the Aer Rianta Shannon…

The build-up to the summer's big chasing prize, the Galway Plate, continues at Tipperary tomorrow with the Aer Rianta Shannon Handicap Chase, where Jimmy Mangan's Stroll Home looks a good bet to pick up his second race in six days. Stroll Home eventually managed to overhaul Cable Beach at Killarney on Tuesday to win a two mile, one furlong chase by a comfortable length.

Mangan was pleasantly surprised at how Stroll Home, who was thought to prefer going right handed, coped with Killarney, and now that he has proved he is equally adept going left-handed, the extra three furlongs of tomorrow's race should be an ideal stepping stone to Galway's big pot.

There could hardly be a greater contrast to that than the five furlong Duty Free Anniversary Handicap, but in it Jeremy Harley's Blushing Minstrel can make her first start at the minimum distance a winning one.

This filly had some smart juvenile form last season, including a win over six furlongs at the Curragh in October. She should have come on significantly for her only start this year when running behind Via Verbano at Leopardstown and is preferred here to Tinker Amelia and Lady Assassin.

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Return Again ran well enough after a long layoff here behind Queen Of Bakla recently to suggest he can pick up the opener.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column