Shrapnel expected to prevail in Arch Bar Maiden Hurdle
Shrapnel has the best chances for winning the Arch Bar Maiden Hurdle at Thurles in Ireland on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. The winner of the 3 mile long race will run away with a cash prize of €5,520.
Following were the runners that had initially lined up for the race: Shrapnel, Lord Gale, Noble Pageant, Present Potential, Dark Raven, Dizzy Rascal, Roszas Girl, Troll D´oudairies, Caspian Piper, Mattara, Mongress Boy, Rever Up, Silver Invicta, Dukes Mutiny,
Mrs Trair, Playtime Ben, Crooked Jack and Island Man.
Out of the above mentioned runners, Mattara and Playtime Ben will not be seen in action, as they have suffered injuries. Both were not expected to make a solid impression, but their respective trainers will be disappointed after missing out.
The going is expected to be good in the race, which is scheduled to start at 6:15 GMT, and the spectators will certainly be entertained to see 16 quality runners in action.
Although Shrapnel has not been able to make a solid impression over hurdles until now, the bookies expect him to win today. He has entered four of such events and the best he could manage was a third place finish once.
The six-year-old gelding has been performing well in recent times though, as he finished fourth in his previous race. He will need a much better effort in order to finish on top of the table at Thurles today.
C. Byrnes’ trainee will be partnered by D. N. Russell, who is relatively new to the sport, but has the potential to become one of the best in the business.
On the other hand, Lord Gale will be a strong contender for victory, as he has got a pretty decent record over hurdles. He has entered four of such events and never finished out of top three. However, he has not managed to win any race, which might discourage
the punters from placing bets in his favour.
The six-year-old gelding has performed brilliantly since making debut and he has been performing well recently. He finished runner up in his most recent outing, which shows the kind of form he is in at the moment. W. P. Mullins’ trainee will be partnered
by Ruby Walsh, who is a terrific rider.
Noble Pageant and Present Potential are the other two runners, who can fight for victory at Thurles today.
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