Amigo can oblige

Those who had been hoping that the apparent good thing Excalibur would get them out of trouble in the last race of the Listowel…

Those who had been hoping that the apparent good thing Excalibur would get them out of trouble in the last race of the Listowel Festival have been foiled by the princely sum of €21.

The conditions of the Slán Abhaile Race dictate that a horse cannot have won a race worth 13,000 and Excalibur, whose 109 rating looked to stand out, picked up €13,020 for winning at Tipperary earlier in the season.

That throws the traditional "get out" race wide open but on jumping ground it could be the chaser Friend's Amigo who comes out on top.

The feature is the 35,000 handicap hurdle which sees the return to action of Ruby Walsh, who missed out on Thursday and yesterday due to feeling sore after a fall on Wednesday.

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Walsh is on The Parishioner for Michael Hourigan and neither the ground nor the trip should be any problem to last season's good novice.

Windsor Boy goes for a second festival win of the week in the novice chase but the weight concession to the Ballinrobe winner Mise Rafturai could prove too much.

Penny Rich tops the weights in the opening claimer after having proved an expensive failure when favourite here on Thursday. Fran Berry rode Penny Rich on that occasion but is on Tipper Road for Pat Hughes today and that one's 69 rating and form that includes a decent fourth to Faasel at Galway makes this horse the choice.

Stamina will not be a problem for the good hurdler Mutineer in the two-mile flat handicap but he will be conceding quite a lot of weight and if Cathy Gannon's mount Daisy Gold recaptures Sligo form, the concession might be too much.

Barrow Bridge found Arachine too good earlier in the week but looks to have his chance now in the maiden hurdle.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

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