Today's £60,000 Guinness Kerry National is the centrepiece of Listowel week and, appropriately, the field of 18 presents the puzzle of the week. In the past, Patrickswell trainer Michael Hourigan has proved he can work this race out better than most and he looks set to do so again with Tell The Nipper.
Hourigan has already trained Dorans Pride (1997) and Deep Bramble (1993) to win this prize but Tell The Nipper looks a different proposition. Unlike his predecessors who outclassed their opposition off topweight, Tell The Nipper is a handicapper pure and simple but one who may still be progressing.
Certainly for a horse whose last appearances over fences were fifth places in the Whitbread Gold Cup and Irish Grand National, Tell The Nipper showed a surprising turn of foot to be third, under his trainer, in a mile charity race at the Curragh last Saturday. In competitive terms it was a meaningless exercise but Tell The Nipper's late progress was still eye-catching.
Throw that evident wellbeing in with Adrian Maguire's presence on his back and the fact that Tell The Nipper's best performance last season was when landing a big gamble at this meeting and he looks one to oppose the others with.
Having said that, the others will be hard to beat, what with the Galway Plate winner Amlah and the topweight Bertone representing Britain and the likes of the Plate runner up Lucky Town (ideally needs overnight rain) and Dermot Weld's Treble Bob sure to be fancied. However, Tell The Nipper could be potentially well in here and is selected.
Hourigan also ran Deejaydee in that charity race on Saturday and now saddles him for the maiden hurdle. This six-year-old looks sure to pick up a maiden before long but, with Its Time For A Win in the race, it might not be today. Willie Mullins' horse clearly has talent but has proved somewhat frustrating. Still, some of his problems have included a tendency to hang left and at least he is going the right way today.
Racing opens with a 12 furlong conditions race and while it may not be advisable to take too short a price about Francis Bay, the Dermot Weld horse looks capable of winning at his best while, with the ground drying out, Boss Morton could come into play with a big chance in the two mile handicap chase.
Snow Dragon is just preferred to Oonagh's Star in the conditions hurdle and Sea Leopard has his chance for Thomond O'Mara in the seven furlong handicap.
The Ballydoyle two-year-old train will attempt to get back on the winning track at Ascot on Sunday when Sunspangled runs in the Group One Fillies Mile and El Gran Hombre goes in the Group Two Royal Lodge Stakes.
Aidan O'Brien reports both on target for their respective races although plans are still fluid regarding Second Empire running in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. "He worked well this morning and, along with Bianconi in the Diadem Stakes, is still a possible runner," O'Brien said. Stravinsky and Coliseum were two Ballydoyle two-year-olds beaten in Group Ones last weekend.
O'Brien also had news of the three-year-old Saratoga Springs who is a possible for the Champion Stakes or the Canadian International in Toronto on October 18th.
X-rays have shown that Double Trigger did not suffer a fractured off-fore splint bone in his third Doncaster Cup victory earlier in the month, the seven-year-old's trainer Mark Johnston revealed last night.
But Johnston will be seeking a dramatic improvement in the entire's condition over the next 48 hours if Double Trigger is to make his intended career swansong in the Prix du Cadran at Longchamp a week on Saturday.
