31st-Mar-2024

I am backing Lucky Lyreen.  He has top weight in this, his first handicap, but he has been keeping good company in maiden hurdles this season so far, and he has been progressing nicely.

He put up the best performance of his career to date last time when he won a three-mile maiden hurdle at Punchestown.  He looked set to win nicely when he moved to the front on the run to the final flight, but he idled once he got there, he was slow at the last and, in the end, he had to be kept up to his work.  He probably won with a fair bit more in hand than the winning margin of just less than three lengths, and the runner-up ran well in a listed contest at Fairyhouse yesterday.

A handicap rating of 125 is fair, he has raced just four times over hurdles now and he should be able to improve beyond that mark.  He did see out the three-mile trip last time, but the faster pace that they will go over two and a half should be a positive for him, and the drop down in trip is not a negative.  Jack Kennedy is riding Pacini instead, but Danny Gilligan is often used by Gordon Elliott to claim off highweights, and Danny Gilligan is very good value anyway for his claim.

Pacini is a danger, and Buachaillbocht is progressive, and Silver King was also on my shortlist but, at the prices, Lucky Lyreen is the bet.

LUCKY LYREEN WON (ADV 10/1, SP 17/2)