Shutter Island’s failure to exploit a seemingly favourable flat-handicap mark during the summer makes him a somewhat enigmatic individual but with first-time blinkers and Tony McCoy on his back there shouldn’t be any excuses on his return to jumps in today’s Listowel festival feature.
The JP McManus-owned horse is McCoy’s sole ride this afternoon and he lines up in a €45,000 Supporters Club Lartigue Hurdle that the legendary owner last won in 2010 with Sword Fish, and in which he will also be represented by Irish Bulletin.
Eleven line up for the big four-year-old prize and Shutter Island gets a stone from top-weight Orgilgo Bay. He has failed to justify favouritism in three flat handicaps this summer but it has been a different story over flights with a Roscommon maiden win and success also at Ballinrobe.
It is 12 years since John Oxx gave Alamshar a racecourse debut at Listowel, a start that led on to Irish Derby and King George glory the following year. Corbata may be no Alamshar but he is a son of Invincible Spirit and those with form in the opening maiden hardly look an earth-shattering bunch.
Alamshar's Aga Khan colours could score at the Kerry track courtesy of the Azamour newcomer Summaya in a juvenile fillies maiden which sees Seamus Heffernan on board Ballydoyle's Absorbing.
Silver Tassie could prefer further than the two-and-a-half miles of the novice chase and despite conceding weight Devil's Bride could be the best bet to make it three-from-three over fences.
