Listowel selections Friday 24th September
Day number six at Listowel and another jumping card to get stuck into. The biggest race comes early with a typical big field valuable handicap hurdle, but perhaps the best bet comes later over fences. Our good run at the meeting continued on Wednesday with Ben Dundee placed in the Kerry National for the each-way bet (20/1).
Listowel 2.10: Dewcup & Winner Takes Itall
An above average handicap hurdle with plenty of classy performers. We are taking two against the field.
DEWCUP is fresh out of novice hurdle company. He was below the very best, but still competed respectably in Grade 1 contests, notably when fourth at Fairyhouse in November. We have not seen him over jumps since Punchestown as he was taken out of a similar at Killarney last month due to softening ground.
However he has run a few times on the flat this summer, the highlight being a close second to Dalton Highway at the Irish Derby meeting at the Curragh. All his form suggests he needs this quick ground to be at his best and an opening handicap mark of 133 looks reasonable.
WINNER TAKES ITALL was a smooth winner of a fast run Bellewstown Handicap Hurdle in July on good going, a race which guaranteed his place in the Galway Hurdle, where he finished a decent sixth. The 6yo still has few miles on the clock and you can ignore his last run at Killarney where the ground went against him on the day. That result has probably made him a bigger price than he should be as he is a fluent jumper and strong traveller which makes him an ideal candidate for a race of this type.
Listowel 4.30: Rapid Response
It has been something of a struggle this summer for RAPID RESPONSE since winning a big mares prize at the Punchestown Festival, but there were better signs last time, and on her performance when winning at this meeting last year, she has strong claims at the weights.
She beat Popong by a length over 2m4f last year in a mares chase giving her opponent 7lbs. Today she receives 8lbs despite going up in the ratings herself for that recent Punchestown success. She ran a good race at Kilbeggan last time where she probably did not quite stay the 3m1f and was not beaten too far by the ultra progressive Fairyhill Run. The trainer form for Jessie Harrington could not be better and this does not look as strong a contest as it might be for the money on offer.
Recommended bets:
1pt each-way – Dewcup – 2.10 Listowel – 14/1 Bet365
0.5pts each-way – Winner Takes Itall – 2.10 Listowel – 12/1 general (Skybet 1/5 odds 1st 6)
1pt each-way – Rapid Response – 4.30 Listowel – 16/1 Bet365
