13th November - Limerick Review (AW)

13th November – Limerick

Going; Soft (Times favour good to soft)

The opener saw a cracking display from Financial Reward for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh. The winner had been disappointing for Mullins on the flat, and although there are some fair targets lined up in his future, you could tell that Willie Mullins was ever so slightly sceptical over his winners’ performance. He did not beat an exceptional field but the time was good and you can draw what you like from that.

A tough race to weigh up was the next on the card and Lucky Slipper finally gained success after being much tried over hurdles. She is by no means a super star but her performance was not bad. She didn’t beat a great deal and I’d be more inclined to give the form of the race a swerve in the future, as they were an average looking bunch.

Similar comments can be applied to the next. The novices handicap was won by Media Queen who has not done a great deal in the past either. The field were once again very average whilst favourite Genger is a strange performing individual who I believe I highlighted at Tralee in a similar race. There is probably a very poor race in her somewhere along the line but as to when is anyone’s guess.

A much better mare took the next, with Grapevine Sally, putting in a really decent performance to add to her recent Clonmel victory. This victory suggested to me that the going on the day was slightly better than the forecast soft, as the winner had been mentioned to appreciate a better surface. The performance was good and she will no doubt be aimed at more mares races.

The Boxer Roche was running quite a nice race last time out against Le Toscan until probably blowing up and he came on for the run to post a decent performance, in what would have been a much more straight forward engagement in the maiden hurdle. His jumping was far from fluent and this chaser in the making is one for the long term rather than this season on the whole. There will probably be some other future chasers come from this race.

The divided maiden held two very similar performances. Go West’s performance in the first division was probably slightly better than that of Orge D’Ete in taking the second, but you couldn’t separate them by much. The winner of the first was no cheap purchase from the sales and I’d be inclined to think that the horse has some scope about him, whilst Orge D’Ete appears a chasing prospect who relishes a test of stamina.