Brassil has chance with Inchacooley

Fashion, or more importantly the lack of it, can pay rich dividends for punters in today's £50,000 Golden Pages Handicap at Leopardstown this afternoon. The name of Curragh trainer Martin Brassil is not as immediately recognisable in such a big handicap as the likes of heavyweights Oxx, O'Brien, Weld or Bolger. However, fashion isn't going to win today's race and in Inchacooley, Brassil looks to have a first rate chance of winning it, and possibly at a price bigger than his mare deserves to be.

Inchacooley has had only the two runs this season but the last of them, at the Curragh over the Derby weekend, bears the closest inspection in today's context. She wound up a length and three quarters third behind today's top weight Vivo and had Graduated well behind in sixth among a host of other horses who reoppose today.

Graduated went on to finish second to Celebrity Style at Leopardstown and is bidding for a second Golden Pages win today but on that Curragh form is held by Inchacooley who will start at a much longer price.

Inchacooley also made up a lot of ground late on at the Curragh, should improve for the run and is 4lb better off with Vivo. Yet he too is likely to start at a shorter price. Throw in the fact that Pat Shanahan rides Inchacooley, she will like the fast ground and that Brassil's small stable is clearly in form, having won with Norwegian Blue in the North earlier in the week, and you have what looks a value bet in what is always a very competitive event.

The heavy hitters can strike back, however, in the Listed Ballyroan Stakes where John Oxx's Chania is selected to the Oaks fifth Family Tradition. Admittedly the In The Wings filly was easily beaten by Dance Design in the Pretty Polly Stakes last time but there's no Dance Design in this and it looks a suitable winning opportunity.

Christy Roche's winning streak of seven winners from his last seven rides looks set to stop in the opening Rochestown Stakes where Jim Bolger's Dane River, who won despite running green on his debut at the Curragh was still an impressive winner, is the selection ahead of Flame Violet.

Oxx's newcomer Winona is taken to beat the Sadlers Wells colt Desert Fox in the Clarmallagh Fund Maiden.