Saying Grace should show benefit of run

The emphasis is very much on quantity tomorrow, with a couple of meetings at Navan and Cork falling mostly into the bread-and…

The emphasis is very much on quantity tomorrow, with a couple of meetings at Navan and Cork falling mostly into the bread-and-butter category.

Even so there is still an £18,000 pot on offer at Navan for the mile and a quarter EBF fillies' race and Frances Crowley could provide the solution to it with Saying Grace.

The selection will be a good test of the form of Rebelline, who propelled herself into Entenmann's Irish 1,000 Guineas calculations with an impressive Leopardstown success on Easter Monday.

Saying Grace ended up fourth in that race, but now with the benefit of the run, can get the better of representatives from the O'Brien, Weld, Oxx and Prendergast stables.

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One of the best bred horses on view at Navan will be the Sadler's Wells filly, Dance Theatre, who ran an encouraging second to El Bueno on her debut at Leopardstown. She can open her account in the Curraghboy Maiden; and the newcomer Prize Time in the opener is at least bred to act on the soft, being by College Chapel.

The main jump race at Navan is the novice handicap chase, where the Listowel winner, Merchants Friend, can follow up for the in-form Tom Taaffe stable.

The main jumping focus is down south, however, where Cork present a card to test the most enthusiastic of form students.

The most valuable event is the paddypower.com Handicap Chase, where another Listowel scorer, Dromhale Lady, looks on a reasonable enough mark for Michael Hourigan.

The grey mare got the better of Master Badsworth on atrocious ground at Listowel last week and could be the one on the up in a sticky contest.

Master Badsworth can have given Dromhale Lady's chance a form boost by then, as the three miles of the beginners' chase looks ideal for Jessica Harrington's runner.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column