AVATAR AND NOON BALLAD WORTH FOLLOWING AT CURRAHEEN PARK
Barry Drake
The semi-finals of the €5,000 to the winner Danny Corkery Memorial A3/A4 stake are the feature races at Curraheen Park tonight.
In the opening heat, Glencroft Avatar should prove hard to beat for trainer Aaron O'Hanlon and owner Mark Flood. The selection comes here in superb form, winning her last three starts, two around here. Last time out, she impressed once more, scoring in 28.89. With plenty of early speed and the rails pitch to help, another front-running winning performance is very much expected. The exciting January puppy is the one to beat for sure.
Path To Power, for Mary Murphy, ran well in defeat last time out, and he's next best. The October '24 whelp is going the right way, but he needs to start breaking a bit better. Kevinsfort Rusty, for Peadar Kinane, is another that should be in the mix. She's chasing a maiden success, but she has some decent form in the book, and another big run is very much expected.
The quick-starting Fagans Zippi is the one to beat in the second heat. The improving August '24 whelp delivered a career-best performance last time, stopping the clock in 28.84. If she can reproduce another 3.31 sectional, it will be a case of catch me if you can. The in-form tracker has the plum draw, next to the rails, and back-to-back winning performances is very likely.
Oakfront Ace, for John Morrissey, was another to clock a personal best last week, posting 28.79. The April puppy is open to tons of improvement, and he's a huge player in this; however, he will need an explosive start from trap number four to win the all-important early lead.
Burgess Speedy is also worth a mention. JJ Fennelly's dog has won his last twice, and he will be trying to come from off the pace once more.
In the closing race, Bushpark Lennie lands the nap selection for trainer Graham Holland. The selection has strong form around course and distance, and he ran well around Shelbourne Park last time out.
With improvement expected from that outing, he is selected to bounce out in front and make all the running. Lennie has 28.18 around here, and he can send punters home happy. Timmys Bucks, for Tim Cliffe, will be powering home, and if there's any trouble up front, he would most likely take advantage in this. A powerful sort, he should go well.
Liam Dowling can take the fifth with Ballymac Goldie. The June puppy has been keeping good company, and he can make the most of the drop in class in this. He should have no trouble with the drop in distance, and if putting his best foot forward, he should take plenty of stopping. A previous 28.82 winner around Shelbourne Park, he has bundles of speed, and with a half-decent start, he should prove a class apart.
Noon Ballad, trained by Kieran Lynch for Eoin Ivers and Fintan Lawlor, is a strong pick in the ninth. The talented performer has some classy form around here, and in truth, this looks like a great winning opportunity. Hit or miss in recent times, this is a big drop in class, and with a quick start likely, it should be all one-way traffic up front.
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