Hello Friend,

I hope you had a great weekend.

Below you can find my fancies in this evenings Killarney National to use or ignore as you please! (posted on blog at 9am)

#1 – 7.30 Killarney – Shady Operator – 1 point win – 6/1 (gen)

#2 – 7.30 Killarney – Wa Wa -1 point win – 10/1 (gen)

Shady Operator – the case is simple enough I suppose… he hacked up in this race last year on the bridle, hard held, off just 3lb lower, and if in in the same form today is going to be bang there again. This is only his 4th handicap chase since, having spent plenty of this season over the banks courses, where he remains in fine form. He ran well enough LTO, maybe ground quick enough, outpaced two out, but stuck to his task well for 3rd. A decent RPR. Unless that race has taken too much out of him, I’d expect a bold show here. The yard are in fine form, if here to run his race he should race prominently, and I just saw no reason why he wouldn’t give it another good go. 6s looks more than fair to my eyes. I did back him at Cheltenham, and hopefully he can return that stake with interest here, and if he’s to lose, he’s beaten by the one below…

Wa Wa – without doubt the most interesting horse in the race for me and no shock the market is starting to wake up to his profile/chance, as on paper it looks interesting. He just has to be backed at 10s. He’s 2/7 over fences with the promise of much more to come on just his 6th start for his new trainer. On his first he won hard held around here over 23f, course form at this 10f tight, LH circuit being a positive for me. That was in a weak enough beginners chase but he showed it was no fluke by doing the same in a 20f handicap chase on his next start at Naas, off 116. He was whacked 12lb for that but given how easy he did it they can’t have any complaints. The four who followed him home all won at least once on their next 1-3 starts, indicating some substance to the form and the 2nd arrived on the back of a win. He then ran ok in early December but on the 8th start of his summer campaign, maybe he’d had enough. He then had a winter break, returning in March on ground far too soft for him, before running at Punchy when the rain came, again making it softer than ideal. However, he jumped very well, which he’s done in all his chases, travelled well until 3 out, before possibly floundering in the mud. He is now 0/10,2p going right-handed also, and maybe prefers this way round. There’s always a chance a race 16 days ago in soft takes something out of them and that would be a ready excuse if so. They do reach for the 1st CP to sharpen him up in the early stages no doubt, hopefully they don’t have a negative effect. Bryan gets on well with him, 2/3, and he should enjoy returning here, LH and decent ground (although they water well here so no excuses for anything really, unless a deep winter ground type). When he won over 23f here it suggested the further the better. He is out of Yeats, his jumps offspring do very well over 26f+, and a chance he improves even more for these 3f extra. I’m in no doubt he has another handicap chase pot in him this summer, hopefully it’s this one

There were no others that jumped out at me really and none that would annoy me at the prices as such. Well, I suppose Streets Of Doyen would, only because I fancied him at Sandown when he never really travelled with any enthusiasm and jumped ‘like a bag of hammers’. They put the blinkers on here, worn before without much impact, but maybe they’ll help this time – he just needs to show more and to jump better. IF he does, he could be in the mix. In theory he should have a handicap chase in him from this sort of mark, for all joint top-weight isn’t ideal in this contest.

16/18 winners were in the top 4 in the market come the off, we shall see if that holds up, and if Wa Wa is backed.

Pace wise… Wa Wa usually sits mid division, hopefully tracking the pace here today as its hard to come from too far behind unless you have plenty of horse. Shady O sat in 2nd for most of the journey last year, before taking it up on the final circuit and breezing home. Darrens Hope may be up there, Danny M may not have Recite A Prayer too far away, Presenting Point can push.

Fingers crossed,

Gl with any bets,

Josh