River Valley Lady looks best

IT MAY be a case of wading through the bread and butter of tonight's Tipperary card before gorging on the savoury dishes at the Curragh over the weekend, but following the talented Tommy Treacy in the opening two races should help the digestion considerably.

Treacy takes the mount on River Valley Lady in the first for his main employer, Paddy Mullins, and this looks a reasonable opportunity for this filly to get the reward for recent consistency.

Both hurdling and the flat seem to come alike to her and she was the only one to make even a semblance of a race of it with the smart Try For Ever at Cork 11 days ago. Before that River Valley Lady also filled the runner-up spot here but there was no disgrace in that as the winner Snow Falcon looked an assured winner on the form of his excellent run at the Punchestown Festival.

River Valley Lady will have to be in the same kind of form again, however, to cope with the likes of Zacaponi, winner of a Tralee bumper on firm ground, and Shannon Light who ruined his chance by pulling too hard in a bumper here last month but still managed to finish second to Making The Cut. Nevertheless, River Valley Lady is the selection.

The nap goes to Apache Twist who looks to hold a first rate chance in the Tipperary Hoteliers Handicap Hurdle.

Apache Twist hadn't run since the end of March before stepping out for a maiden hurdle at Clonmel 12 days ago and proceeded to win with his proverbial head in his chest. It was only four lengths back to the second Rainbow Era but that gives no indication to Apache Twist's superiority.

For a four-year-old in handicap company he could hardly be said to be thrown in at the weights hut apart from possibly Aidan O'Brien's Petasus the opposition looks well exposed. Apache Twist and Treacy can expose them even more this evening.

. Richard Fahey was yesterday left looking for a jockey for the Curragh tomorrow night after John Carroll was ruled out of partnering Colours To Gold in the Goffs £100,000 Challenge, a race restricted to horses catalogued at the Goffs £100,000 Challenge Sales last October.

The trainer's first-choice rider will be serving the first day of a two-day suspension, which he had thought would not come into effect until the following day. Stable-companion High Premium runs in a handicap on the same card and will be a first ride in his native country for apprentice Robert Winston, who was born in Finglas.