DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6
5.20 SLIGO
SHAOOL (NAP) (best price 4-1) hasn’t received the rub of the green in her last two starts and she afforded another chance to make amends in a race she stands out on pure ability.
An impressive winner both visually and on the clock when scoring by a wide margin at Leopardstown three starts ago, Johnny Murtagh’s filly was upped significantly in grade at Killarney next time and although she came out of the contest with plenty of praise, her third place finish may have easily been bettered if she hadn’t been forced to race the entire race on the swamp around the unfavoured part (inside) of the track.
Bidding to atone for that ill-judged ride at Ballinrobe last time out, the daughter of Belardo got no help from the ballot in the first place with stall 12 of 12 and that wide draw meant she was dropped right out the back from the start, a position she was always going to find difficult to overcome around such a sharp track on a night when all the front runners dominated.
To her great credit, she did manage to rescue something from the wreckage by running on strongly to finish a never-nearer third and it was yet another performance that suggested she still can leave behind her current rating when back on a more level playing field.
Whether tonight’s sharp, right-handed circuit plays into her strengths remains to be seen but at least she does have plenty of ease in the ground to help her cause and a decent break from a better draw should see her in a position to strike from coming up the hill.
SHAOOL – 1-point win@4-1
7.17 WEXFORD
OUTSIDE THE DOOR (best price 15-2) has form figures of 2141 around today’s track and with the latest instalment amounting to a victory in this race last year, Padraig Roche’s inmate can repeat the dose under optimum conditions.
Looking as though he was sure to be overhauled by Favori Logique at the last twelve months ago, the nine-year-old rallied to the cause to regain the lead on the run to the line and with the pair well clear of the rest, it was a performance that once again highlighted his stamina.
To further prove the point, he went on to finish runner-up to Shanbally Kid over 3m7f at the Punchestown Festival back in May and that effort was followed up by another decent effort behind subsequent Galway Plate hero, Western Fold at Ballinrobe last time out.
Off the track since, it is worth pointing out the son of Milan goes particularly well when fresh and having been steered to victory in the hands of today’s pilot in the past, a defence of his crown looks a strong possibility.
OUTSIDE THE DOOR – ½ point each-way@15-2 (four places)