28th-Apr-2023

There are several interesting an unexposed horses in here, including Spillane’s Tower and Arctic Bresil, they both could be very good, and we don’t know how good Willie Mullins’ French recruit Sa Majeste could be, but they all have to improve quite a bit to get up to Monbeg Park’s level.

It looked in the early part of the season as if Sean Doyle’s horse was going to be a leading staying novice hurdler, but he dropped to two and a half miles at Down Royal on his penultimate run, and he put up a career-best performance last time in finishing first past the post in a Grade A two-mile handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse.

On balance, it was probably correct that he was demoted and the race awarded to Risk Belle, but it was still a really good performance, giving 7lb to a talented and progressive young mare, with the pair of them clear.  

He ran well at the Punchestown Festival last year, and he won his maiden hurdle at Punchestown, so we know that he goes well at the track, and he goes well on goodish ground.  He isn’t a massive price, but he is the most likely winner by a fair way in my book.

MONBEG PARK WON (ADV 5/4, SP 15/8)