5.00 Ballymore Champion Four Year Old Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m
Jacovec Cavern: Rated 31lb below Lossiemouth and has 24 lengths to find with that rival on the basis of their Triumph Hurdle clash last month. Sent off 300/1 then and exceeded expectations when finishing eighth of 15 runners but hard to see him landing a blow here.
Nusret: Smooth winner of the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton two starts ago and ran creditably despite probably having his limitations exposed a little when third in Grade 1 at Aintree. Connections believe he’s better going right-handed so potential for improvement in that sense, but probably needs the big guns to run below their very best.
Your Honor: Limerick maiden hurdle winner two starts ago finished fourth in a Ballinrobe handicap hurdle off a mark of 121 earlier this month. Big improvement required from that type of form now stepping into Grade 1 company.
Zarak The Brave: Looked a high-quality recruit to hurdles when beating the useful Rightsotom at Fairyhouse in November, and Paul Townend chose to ride him over Lossiemouth when beaten four lengths in second behind that rival at Fairyhouse in December. Missed the remainder of season after having a colic issue. Wouldn’t be a shock if he made up for lost time now.
Cinsa: Highly tried on first two starts since joining Willie Mullins, beaten 28 lengths behind Gala Marceau in Dublin Racing Festival Grade 1 and 21 lengths behind Lossiemouth in the Triumph Hurdle. Open to improvement as an unexposed filly but would be a shock winner.
Enjoy The Dream: Well-bred filly who showed ability on the flat in Germany before joining Andrew McNamara for 160,000gns last October. Showed considerable progression from Gowran hurdling debut third to when upsetting odds-on shot Blood Destiny in Grade 2 company at Fairyhouse earlier this month. Main rival probably didn’t run to maximum potential on that occasion but this unexposed filly shouldn’t be underestimated.
Gala Marceau: Rock-solid filly looks the second-best juvenile hurdler of the season on these shores behind stablemate Lossiemouth. Capitalised on that rival encountering traffic trouble at the Dublin Racing Festival when causing a minor upset in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle, but finished runner-up to her at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival and Cheltenham Festival. Probably needs Lossiemouth to run below form to turn the tables, but such form isn’t always upheld at the Punchestown Festival.
Lossiemouth: Top of the tree in this division and sets a high standard, as demonstrated by her ready Triumph Hurdle win. Only concern is whether her schedule might catch up with her, having not missed a beat in contesting top races since early December, including what her trainer felt was a hard race in defeat at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to look beyond Lossiemouth but the freshness of Zarak The Brave, who wasn’t far behind his star stablemate when last seen in December, could be a valuable asset here. He’s always been well regarded and likely represents value when considering the potential for Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau to run a little below their best after action-packed seasons. Willie Mullins could saddle the 1-2-3 with those candidates, though Enjoy The Dream is clearly on the up for Andrew McNamara.