Whatcouldhavebeen looks nicely treated in the three-mile conditions hurdle at Cork on Friday evening.
The €18,000 contest has attracted a small but decent field and the Battle Of Marengo mare gets a nice chunk of weight from her rivals.
She was last seen finishing a fine fifth in the Grade One Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown in early May and this is a significant drop in class now.
Jarlath Fahey’s charge had run out an impressive winner in handicap company at Fairyhouse prior to that and is a smart mare on her day.
She had run a cracker to be runner-up in top level company back in April 2023 and Fahey felt, like a lot of his team, that she hadn’t been firing last winter.
The spring brought a change in fortunes and this looks like a nice opportunity to get her back in the winner’s enclosure.
Her main danger could be the 140-rated Happy Jack, who comes here in winning form after a narrow handicap success at Kilbeggan last month.
He was value for a bit more than his winning margin of a nose last time as the rider eased up late on.
Beacon Edge also comes here in winning form but carrying a double penalty in this looks to make life tough.
The preceding three-mile maiden hurdle is an interesting heat and smart Flat performer Magellan Strait catches the eye on his first foray over jumps.
Joseph O’Brien’s charge was eased when well-beaten at Royal Ascot last month and a switch of tack now may ignite something.
He won a massive pot last year when taking the Irish Cesarewitch and if he can translate some of his ability to jumps now he’ll be the one to beat.
In the opening two-mile maiden hurdle, Kimy gets the vote in a moderate enough looking contest.
The Tom Mullins-trained filly bumped into one last time when chasing home Gaucher at Punchestown but that was a much improved performance having been pulled up on her previous couple of outings.
She has a mark of 109 and if she can repeat her run from last month she’s good enough to land a race of this standard, particularly with her mares’ allowance.
SELECTIONS
4.30 Kimy (Dbl)
5.05 Sionnach Eile
5.40 Due Course
6.15 Contrapposto
6.50 Noble Hilltop
7.25 Magellan Strait
8.00 Whatcouldhavebeen (Nap)
8.30 San Franco
