RACING/ Down Royal preview: Never one to be afraid to go travelling, Dermot Weld has been doing things on the double since the start of the week with two winners a piece at Downpatrick on Monday and Clonmel on Wednesday and looks well set for yet another double at Down Royal today through the agency of Amid The Chaos and Indian Pace.
A faller at Galway, Amid The Chaos had little to do at Kilbeggan to secure his first hurdles win and the run that seems most relevant took place at the National Hunt Festival at Punchestown. There he took contested the Kiely's Of Donnybrook 4-y-o Hurdle when despite facing a 28-runner field, punters weighed the race up with breathtaking accuracy with Definate Spectacle being back down from 4 to 1 to 9 to 4. At the off you could have had as much as 9 to 1 bar one and after Definate Spectacle had won with anticipated ease, the second placings went to Amid The Chaos beaten six lengths.
Indian Pace, a grandson of Trusted Partner, winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas, was beaten a similar margin by Meath on his only run at two, but the promise of that first attempt has yet to be built upon in four starts so far this term. He did get within a head of Rosmaire at Tralee over a mile and now down to five furlongs could be called upon to win today's Deloitte Race.
Willie Browne's Premier Prospect may be set to give away from 3l to 20lb in the Deloitte 3-y-o Handicap but despite his lack of success so far, his card is dotted with good handicap runs.
One of these came on Ladbroke day at the Curragh when he finished 6th of 21 to Kid Creole, himself starting off on the first leg of a Curragh hat-trick.
I nap him today although confidence would be tempered should the first reserve, Toberogan, get a run. He was a market springer last time when fourth to Kid Creole.
Horses that start favourite at Galway, like In The Morning, are going to be hard to beat in a Down Royal bumper. In The Morning was not particularly flattered when placed seventh behind King Of Spades.
Connections of One Cool Cat will be pleased to hear the ground at Haydock for tomorrow's Group One Stanleybet Sprint Cup has improved and Coral's David Stevens believes conditions are turning in the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt's favour.
"The drying ground seems to be coming in time for One Cool Cat and it looks as if punters are expecting this colt to finally justify favouritism in a major race," he said.
