RACING:JOHNNY MURTAGH will hope Haydock passes a 7am inspection this morning as the Irish champion jockey is due to travel for one ride on Testosterone in this afternoon's Group Two Lancashire Oaks.
Runner-up in last year’s Prix Vermeille, Testosterone is a Group Two winner already at Saint-Cloud last year but disappointed badly in Royal Ascot’s Hardwicke Stakes last month on her reappearance.
However, there are serious doubts about the meeting getting the green light as last evening’s scheduled Haydock fixture was rained off.
Clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright said yesterday: “We’ve had an inch of rain this morning and it has been coming from all angles so the low-lying spots have standing water in them. We just need a few dry hours for things to settle down and the tide to go out! We will have a look in the morning.”
Whodoyouthink was an easy winner of his last start over fences and can successfully revert back to hurdles in this evening’s €23,500 feature at Bellewstown if the meeting survives an inspection this morning. A dozen line up for the Séamus Mulvaney Crockafotha Handicap Hurdle but the in-form Oliver McKiernan team supply Whodoyouthink who looks attractively weighted.
The seven-year-old was an easy winner over fences at Punchestown on his last start when racing off a 10lb higher mark than he does over flights today.
Today’s mark is also lower than when he has won over hurdles in the past, testing ground won’t be an issue and overall Whodoyouthink looks to have plenty going for him.
Thomas Edison was unlucky on his long-awaited hurdling debut at Gowran when exiting at the second last in a race won by Maxim Gorky but should be capable of scoring in the opening maiden tonight.
Pique Sous would definitely prefer much better ground than this but any horse capable of finishing third in the Cheltenham festival bumper should out-class the opposition in the finale.
Wooly Tom is 11lb higher for the third handicap hurdle after springing a surprise on his previous start but there was an authority to his Gowran success that suggests he can double-up.
