Thursday’s Irish racing fixture list again sees only Listowel flying the flag as their Harvest Festival continues into another day; we look over the day’s eight-race card on the flat and pick out our Listowel racing best bets.
The Listowel Harvest Festival continues into another day of racing with an eight-race card on the flat with some competitive handicap and maiden action going to post including the Listowel Printing Works Handicap.
We’ve been in decent form with our Irish racing tips of late and having looked over the Thursday racecard we give our Listowel racing best bets for the pick of the action.
LISTOWEL RACING BEST BETS – THURSDAY’S IRISH RACING TIPS
1:40 Listowel – Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden (Plus 10 Race) (2yo) 1m
Santiago won this race twelve months ago and while there may not be anything of that calibre in this renewal it could be worth siding with COLD STEEL to get off the mark at the third attempt.
Jessica Harrington’s charge was too green to do himself much justice on debut at the Curragh in July, but showed improved form stepped up to this trip and improving for the experience to finish a solid fourth at Killarney behind Snowy Owl.
The first time visor he wore there looked to work well and the form looks fair. He was hampered in that contest which might have cost him a place but he can improve again and he’s less exposed than standard-setting Flying Visit who has looked a tricky customer.
He can improve past that rival here to open his account at the third attempt and he should make his presence felt.
2:45 Listowel – MAC Fuels & General Supplies Maiden (3yo+) 1m
TASHIM ran better than the bare result on his debut at Navan last month, undone by experience early but warming to his task as the race unfolded to finish well for sixth and Mick Halford’s charge can build on that performance to finish much closer now.
The Footstepsinthesand gelding wasn’t beaten all that far in sixth and the form looks fair with a subsequent winner coming out of that contest; while the winner contested a valuable contest at the Curragh during Irish Champions Weekend.
This doesn’t look a particularly strong contest and he likely wouldn’t need to improve a great deal to take a big hand in the finish. He’s chanced then to find a jolt of improvement and ought to make his presence felt.
Listowel racing best bets. Mick Halford can get amongst Thursday’s winners.
3:20 Listowel – David McManus Bookmaker Handicap (3yo+ 50-80) 7f
DARKEST produced a career-best effort to get off the mark in testing ground at Limerick earlier in the month and with conditions set to prove demanding once more Aidan O’Brien’s charge could be worth sticking with to follow up.
The Dark Angel filly isn’t one of Ballydoyle’s leading lights but she had shown enough in her previous starts to suggest she was up to winning a race. She took some time to get off the mark but did so readily when last seen beating Pachmena by two lengths in maiden company and she returns to the handicap ranks here where a repeat ought to see her in the mix.
The handicapper has only pushed her up 3lbs for that win and while her last start in a handicap at Naas in July saw her fail to beat a rival she had plenty go wrong and can’t be judged too harshly on that run. This will demand a bit more from her but now she has got her head in front she can progress and no surprise to see her in the mix.
3:55 Listowel – Listowel Printing Works Handicap (3yo+) 1m4f
A competitive big field for Thursday’s feature race which can go the way of LAYFAYETTE who looks progressive, finding another jolt of improvement to strike at Naas last month and Noel Meade’s charge can follow up having been raised just 4lbs.
A case can be made for most of the runners in this contest but the French Navy colt seemed to relish the stiffer test and this even more extreme yardage could draw further improvement out of the lightly-raced colt who has proven his credentials in handling testing conditions.
He had finished third in each of his two previous starts at Cork and Galway – both over one mile – with the latter run seeing him thwarted by only a half-length. That form is fair and he ought to be suited by this further step up in distance so he can make his presence felt in a wide-open contest where conditions should pose no problems.