RACING:Those looking for a Christmas pot and tempted by taking short odds about Midnight Game in tomorrow's Listed feature at Thurles might do well to consider the race history. So Young justified 1 to 8 odds in last year's Horse And Jockey Hotel Hurdle but that brought a noticeable and expensive pattern to an end.
In 2007 the Grade One performer Catch Me got turned over in the two mile heat at a prohibitive 2 to 11 SP and the following year another top-flight runner, Solwhit, was beaten at 1 to 3.
In 2009 the high-class Mourad was an expensive 4 to 11 failure but even so his younger stable companion will be a popular choice tomorrow.
Midnight Game heads a trio of runners from Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud but he is the undoubted number one with Davy Russell aboard after an encouraging return to action at Fairyhouse earlier in the month.
Willie Mullins reported afterwards the five-year-old strengthened up noticeably through the summer after a novice campaign that tailed off last spring. The new Midnight Game is unopposable in the circumstances, but a very short price might be avoidable.
Gigginstown have two in the maiden hurdle and War Correspondent looks the best of them after a promising run behind Rory O’Moore at Naas. The other maiden hurdle is for mares and the Willie Mullins newcomer will a focus for plenty of attention beforehand. Pedigree-wise though the most interesting of all is Speckled Wood, a daughter of High Chaparral and the top-class jumping mare Like-A-Butterfly, who showed a lot of ability on her debut here behind Ally Cascade.
December has been kind to jockey Mark Enright so far and that can continue on the run-up to Christmas as the in-form rider teams up with last weekend’s winner Robertstown Rover in a Molony Cup follow-up attempt.
Patrick and Willie Mullins team up for Goldboy in a bumper where Rosaflora’s proven ability to act on very heavy ground could prove decisive.
