Tony Keenan looks ahead to the Flat card in Ireland this afternoon and he's backing one of Noel Meade's runners.
Irish racing tips: Sunday March 23
0.5pts e.w. Money Dancer in Naas 3.13 at 11/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
The opening day of the flat turf season at the Curragh produced eight different winning trainers across the eight races, which makes it difficult to gauge basic stable form and it might continue that way up until the Punchestown Festival as there are relatively few flat turf meetings between now and then.
Jessica Harrington was not among those winners, but she did have a couple of placed horses last Sunday, and her Kodilicious is an interesting runner in the Irish Racing Writers Association Ron McKnight Memorial Madrid Handicap, the feature at Naas at 3.48.
She had a stop-start juvenile season, but that seems largely because connections were looking for soft ground with her. When she got it second time out at Sligo, she won a maiden in comfortable fashion, beating rivals now rated 101, 96 and 95, and never really got her ground afterwards.
There was some ease in the ground when she ran fifth in the Birdcatcher here in October, but she shaped better than the result as she hit a number of ridges in the second half of the race which unbalanced her, all the while looking as if a step up in trip would suit.
She had one more run as a two-year-old, in a backend Listed race at Newmarket again over six furlongs on good ground, and while that was not the strongest race for the grade, she acquitted herself well to finish a nose second, finishing strongly to again suggest further would suit.
That step up in trip comes today, she was left on the same mark after Newmarket and the going looks in her favour so she should go well today provided the track and its ridges don’t inconvenience her, though her price has shorted overnight.
The TOTE Irish EBF Devoy Stakes at 4.23 looks a too difficult with a host of diverse form lines but the DAR Golf Handicap at 3.13 might be more appealing.
Love Billy Boy was unlucky last Sunday at the Curragh and should have won but he looks quite short here in a competitive field and he did miss the break last week.
At the odds, MONEY DANCER looks overpriced for all she can be in and out but being fresh might be the key to her. She was an impressive winner of a Curragh maiden first time out under similar conditions this time last year before struggling with a higher grade but her mark has dropped since and she again showed she can go well off a break when running a close third to a pair of juvenile hurdlers rated in the 130s at Christmas on her first start over obstacles.
She didn’t go on from that next time over hurdles when returning to the track quickly but has had a break since and it is a positive that Colin Keane takes the ride having presumably had the option to ride course specialist Facethepuckout too, another with a chance, while the Noel Meade horses have been running well lately.
The three-year-old maidens on the card should prove informative, especially the Aesop's Fables At Compas Stallions Irish EBF Fillies Maiden at 4.58.
Faiyum was backed at the early prices and it would be no surprise if she proved decent as Ger Lyons often runs his better maidens at this track though Bay Colony sets a good standard for a yard that tends to be good early.
She was better than the form when last seen in a Group 3, shuffled back at a vital stage before finishing well, while Guilty Pleasure is another that shapes as if she has more to come.
Published at 0848 GMT on 23/03/25
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