Richard Dunwoody makes a rare trip to Wexford tomorrow, primarily to ride Tell The Nipper for Michael Hourigan in the featured £12,000 Bewleys Hotel Handicap Chase, and the visit looks set to pay off in style. Tell The Nipper brought off quite a gamble at the Listowel festival last month when Hourigan re-introduced the six-year-old for his first race since April.
The old warhorse Second Schedual momentarily appeared to have stolen a march on his rivals at Listowel but when Dunwoody got serious with Tell The Nipper he got the sort of response that had a multitude of followers in the stands roaring their approval.
Tell The Nipper eventually beat Perknapp by three lengths and gave the impression that he would appreciate further than the two and a half miles. He gets three miles tomorrow but also some decent opposition including the topweight New Co. However, Tell The Nipper looks to have thrived during his summer break and his rate of improvement may not be over yet.
Dunwoody and Hourigan can also combine to take the opening division of the maiden hurdle with Ballygowan Beauty who had the aforementioned fans in the Listowel stand open-mouthed with the ease with which he landed a bumper on the third day of the festival.
Jason Titley is selected to win the second division on Merry Chieftain, while Norman Williamson encouraged Legatissimo to win his maiden hurdle at Listowel and could do the same over fences in the Beginners Chase.
Galway starts a two-day fixture tomorrow and hopefully Eddie Ahern can add to his already impressive total with another double courtesy of Miss Emer in the Castlegar Maiden and Executive Decision in the Bank Of Ireland Handicap.
