On a busy day Friday, usual late night racing from Dundalk is on the cards.
Ireland’s only all-weather venue is a Friday evening staple in the winter months and their latest eight-race card is underway from 17:00 through until 20:30 with some typically competitive racing set to be headlined by the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cooley Fillies Stakes over a mile at 18:30.
We’ve picked out three fancies from the Co Louth venue, including likely improver Persian Jewel for Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee in a competitive feature race.
18:30 – Persian Jewel @ 9/2
Dundalk’s Friday night feature race is the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cooley Fillies Stakes over a mile and it’s as competitive as we come to expect at this venue, all the more so with €30,000 to be collected by the winner.
Didn’thavemuchtodo and Hodd’s Girl are a couple of likely sorts and have strong form claims but an each-way contender could be Persian Jewel for Paddy Twomey, the trainer nearing the end of what has been a real stellar season.
This Showcasing filly has only had three starts and she returned a five-month absence to readily land a course and distance maiden here last Friday.
That looked like meat and drink under Billy Lee and, while this is evidently more demanding, they have plenty scope for more improvement now and a pair of first-time blinkers are added, giving hope there is more to come.
19:30 – Migdam @ 6/5
Later on the card and it is a mile handicap this time featuring last-time-out winners in Migdam for Ado McGuinness and Brains for Eric McNamara.
The latter was recording his 11th all-weather score when he justified favouritism in a claimer here on the first day of the month, coming clear to win that contest as the market hinted he might.
Migdam, meanwhile, is formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute in Britain and won three races in his care.
He didn’t manage to get his head on front in four turf starts for this handler from late August but was back in the winners’ circle in last month’s Dundalk bow.
He came clear with the favourite and stablemate Tosen Wish in that race and got up by a half-length, with the form boosted by three next-time-out winners emerging since.
He’s up 7lb in the ratings but is now a perfect 3-3 on all-weather surfaces in his career and he looks one to keep onside.
20:00 – Pink Socks @ 3/1
Pink Socks has rattled the crossbar in three starts this autumn and deserves a change of luck.
Runner-up efforts on turf at Gowran Park came over a mile and the extended-mile in September and October on good/heavy ground and it was another silver medal here last Friday night over C&D.
She hasn’t done much wrong in any of those races and is a shade unlucky to be creeping steadily up in the ratings without shedding the maiden tag.
Talented apprentice Wayne Hassett takes over in the saddle now and boasts a handsome recent 6-26 strike-rate. This filly will surely get her turn soon and the fact she doesn’t need to be ridden forward means a wide draw won’t hold her back.
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