Timeform mark your card with a ratings choice, a big improver and a Flag to note on Sunday.
The Ratings Choice
Hurricane Cliff – 16:20 Fairyhouse
Henry de Bromhead runs a couple in this listed novice handicap chase and the pick of his pair is Rachael Blackmore’s mount Hurricane Cliff who tops the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
Hurricane Cliff was fairly useful over hurdles, and while his initial efforts weren’t that promising, he showed something much more like his hurdles form when getting off the mark over fences in a novice handicap at Limerick three weeks ago. While three of his rivals came down two out, Hurricane Cliff was going as well as any when left in the lead at that stage and was clear at the last before going on to win by thirteen lengths from The Gradual Slope.
Hurricane Cliff still looks well handicapped judged on his hurdles form and with his stable still going well he looks capable of defying a 9 lb rise in the weights.
The Big Improver
Tounsivator – 15:45 Fairyhouse
Willie Mullins has won eight of the last ten runnings of this Grade 2 novice hurdle and saddles three strong candidates in a bid to extend that terrific record. Preference among that trio is for Paul Townend’s mount Tounsivator.
The son of Derby winner Motivator was a dual winner on the Flat in France in 2022 when trained by Jerome Reynier but didn’t make his debut for Mullins until this February. He created a good impression, though, starting out over hurdles against a huge field of maidens at Naas.
Always travelling well, Tounsivator went on between the final two flights and, after being headed briefly on the run-in after losing momentum at the last, soon asserted again to win with more than a bit in hand. The second and fourth have franked the form since by finishing one-two in a similar event at Navan and Tounsivator looks open to more than average improvement upped in grade.
The Timeform Flag
Cuta des As – 14:35 Fairyhouse
Flags: Horse In Focus, Hot Trainer
There’s a bumper field of eighteen for the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares’ Novice Hurdle and that’s largely down to Willie Mullins fielding no fewer than ten of them. Paul Townend sticks with Jade de Grugy who lost her unbeaten record at Cheltenham earlier in the month but Brian Hayes’ mount Cuta des As wouldn’t have to make too much improvement to be a big threat.
She did well in bumpers last spring, including when third both in a listed event at this meeting and later in a Grade 3 contest at the Punchestown Festival. After a ten-month break, she made a near faultless start over hurdles in a mares’ maiden at Punchestown in February, taking over in front from the odds-on favourite Tareze at the last and driven clear to win by four lengths with the remainder beaten a long way.
Cuta des As looks a good prospect and the fact that she won over a bit further last time should stand her in good stead with conditions here likely to put a premium on stamina.
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