Look To The West

(Henry de Bromhead)

Clonmel, February 27th

Even though she was beaten as 6/4 favourite in a mares’ beginners’ chase at Clonmel last week, Look To The West should have little trouble opening her account over fences in due course for Henry de Bromhead and Robcour. The lightly raced point-to-point graduate, who had high-class mare Bioluminescence behind when winning a maiden hurdle at Navan last season, missed 333 days before this reappearance run in Co Tipperary, and the race didn’t unfold ideally for her at the business end. As she was beginning to throw down a challenge, she came around the outside of Karia Des Blaises, who was showing a tendency to jump out to her left - and into Look To The West’s path. That came to a head at the second last when she got badly hampered, while the winner, Paggane, got a dream split down the inner. Being beaten two and three-quarter lengths against more experienced, race-fit chasers was no shame in the circumstances. If she doesn’t win her beginners’ chase before the turn of the new season in May, she could be one to make hay with over the summer months to a decent level.

Down Around

(Philip Rothwell)

Leopardstown, March 2nd

He might have already gone through a bit of a rise in the weights over the winter, but Down Around mightn’t be done with yet off his new mark - and there are reasons to mark up his latest fifth in a competitive, 17-runner handicap hurdle at Leopardstown last weekend. Dropping from two and a half miles down to two miles here, Tiernan Power Roche was really positive on the improving eight-year-old, and he ended up having a lot of running done by the time he was challenged on either side approaching the last flight. Serienmond, making a winning first start since joining Gavin Cromwell, was ridden with more restraint and was a fresher horse late on, while the second and third came from a similar position in mid-field too. With blinkers refitted, Down Around did run around a little approaching the last and looked to need some bit of an aggressive ride, but perhaps it was mostly a case that things were happening a bit quick for him around here on yielding, yielding to soft ground over two miles. He could pick up his progress again over two and a half miles - the trip over which his sole victory came.

Imadpour

(Ian Donoghue)

Leopardstown, March 2nd

Imadpour looks a clever claim for just €5,000 (out of a Dundalk contest before Christmas) on the evidence of his promising third at Leopardstown in the two-mile handicap hurdle won by the gambled-on Darcy’s Friend. A useful two-year-old for Mick Halford and the Aga Khan, winning a seven-furlong maiden and handed an introductory mark of 90 on the flat, he didn’t really progress from there, but this was a step in the right direction - and step forward from his stable debut, when down the field in headgear. Racing off a handy weight, with Caragh Monaghan taking a further 7lb off his back, he was ridden with patience and showed some of his old flat pace in defeat. In fact, nothing clocked a faster sectional time between the three-furlong pole to the final-furlong marker. Given the strength of market support for Darcy’s Friend on his first start for Emmet Mullins, perhaps time will prove it was an unenviable task trying to take on that rival, when rated in the 80s. However, a 2lb nudge to 89 still leaves Imadpour on a reasonable mark when all falls right. He could be one to have a fruitful summer for a yard that made great strides last year. He’s also down to a career-low flat mark of 70, which could be of interest down the line.

Riskaway

(Gordon Elliott)

Thurles, March 6th

According to RaceiQ’s data, the top speeds for the entire card at Thurles on Thursday were clocked in the concluding bumper. Well-bred winner, Le Labo, looks a bright prospect for Joseph O’Brien and the Gleeson family, showing lots of pace in the closing stages to get the better of Riskaway, who shaped like a winner in waiting in his own right for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown House Stud. A top speed of 37.62mph for the winner was only marginally faster than Riskaway’s 37.29mph - and only one other runner broke 36.5mph in the 18-runner field. In terms of how deep this race might have been overall, it must be said that the market was extremely chilly about the chances of Willie Mullins’ eighth-placed Sunset Boulevard, who never landed a telling blow, while the third-placed Frankie John brought smart form to the table, but likely mightn’t have run to the same level as he did when behind Copacabana at Navan previously (the ground perhaps too lively for him to be seen at his best here). Still, Riskaway hasn’t been with this top yard all that long - his third and final point-to-point start for Sean Doyle coming only in December - so there’s every chance of improvement with further time. The £135,000 purchase is by a leading sire in No Risk At All and has clear bumper-winning potential before making his mark over hurdles. He doesn’t look slow by any means.