Lynwood Gold

Lynwood Gold ran a good race in the Pertemps qualifier at Punchestown on Monday to finish sixth behind Atlantic Shore. Settled back towards the rear of the field early on by Robbie Power, he jumped well and he travelled well to the end of the back straight. He moved up on the outside travelling well as they raced towards the second last flight and, while he came under pressure as they raced around the home turn, he kept on admirably. Just eighth as the turned for home, he stayed on well over the final flight and up the run-in to get up and take sixth place, just failing to catch Gabbys Cross for fifth.

This was Lynwood Gold’s first run since he finished eighth in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket last October. Also, it was his first run over hurdles since he finished second in a novices’ hurdle at the Listowel Festival in September, and it was just the fifth hurdle race of his life, and his first handicap hurdle, so there is every reason to expect that he will progress for the experience. Jessica Harrington’s horse is a talented flat horse, he won a good handicap on the flat on Irish Oaks weekend at The Curragh last year, and he raced off a mark of 91 in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October, and he has the scope to progress now over hurdles. He is now qualified for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, and he will be of interest if connections allow him take his chance there.

This race was five days later than originally scheduled, he will only have a break of 17 days if he does run in the Final, but the Punchestown Pertemps qualifier has been a good pointer to the Final in recent years. Mall Dini and Presenting Percy finished third and fourth respectively in the Punchestown qualifier before going on to win the Final at Cheltenham. The Punchestown race was run in late January or in early February those years (2016 and 2017), but both horses ran again before they went to Cheltenham. Also, Delta Work finished third in the Punchestown Pertemps qualifier in 2018 before going on to win the Final at Cheltenham just 22 days later. The handicapper left Lynwood Gold on his mark of 130 after this, and the British handicapper has given the Robcour gelding a rating of 134, which is a mark off which he would be of interest in the Final.
Punchestown, 1^st March 2021