2024 Gowran Park Thyestes Chase Meeting Tips – DS
2024 Gowran Park Thyestes Meeting Preview
Our good run of results came to a shuddering halt on Sunday. Midnightreflection finished a well beaten 8th. She never really looked like landing a blow and the exact same sentiment applies to Blade Runner. Movethechains won it, it was a pity his price collapsed before I did the preview. Now, we switch our focus back to Ireland for the 2024 Gowran Park Thyestes Chase preview. Find out who Dave Stevos is backing below.
1.05 – Langtons Kilkenny Handicap Hurdle (80-102)
Last year, I put Listenheretomejack up as our 33/1 NAP for this race. Running off 95, Denis O’Regan gave him a masterful ride, overcoming a mistake three out to stay on late and get up for the win at odds of 11/1. The ground was soft to heavy that day and it is going to be pretty similar this afternoon.
Eoin Doyle’s charge has only run twice since that race. He was well beat in a handicap hurdle at Navan three weeks later and he only made his reappearance three weeks ago at Fairyhouse. He actually didn’t shape too badly that day over 20f, a very similar prep run to what he had in 2023.
Higher Mark
The main difference this year is his mark. He is now rated 102, 7lbs higher than in 2023. With that in mind, I am going to jump ship and back last year’s 0.5L runner up Derridae. Trained by Moses McCabe, this 9yo daughter of Milan was conceding 4lbs to Listenheretomejack that day off 99. This afternoon, with Gavin Brouder taking off 5lbs, she is now 9lbs better off and effectively running off 92.
This mare has done nothing since that race here last year. There is a chance she is a lost cause but I’m hoping she was just poorly handicapped and that she is now back down to a more reasonable rating. She has finished second twice on heavy ground so conditions should be ok and given the swing in the weights, I don’t think she should be almost 3x the price of Listenheretomejack. At odds of 33/1, Derridae is a speculative e/w selection.
2024 Gowran Park Thyestes Meeting Tip: Derridae e/w @ 33/1 (6 places)
2.15 – John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle (Grade 2)
As is usually the case, a small field will line up at the start for this G2, 24f hurdle. Only five horses run but at least they all hail from different yards, a rarity these days. The mud loving Thedevilscoachman is the 7/4 fav for Meade and Walsh.
The eight year old’s last three wins have come over fences but he is having his second run back over the smaller obstacles after pulling up in the Irish National and finishing well beat in the Troytown. He shaped well in a 19f heat at Punchestown last time, splitting Sir Gerhard and Ashdale Bob. The question is whether he can uphold that form with the Harrington horse over this longer trip.
Hard to Win With
It is pretty amazing that a horse with Ashdale Bob’s talent has only won three of his twenty three runs. We have backed him on multiple occasions and he has always come up short. You have to go back to April 2021 for his last win at Fairyhouse and while he will probably run well here again (3rd in the 2022 renewal), odds of 5/1 are too short for a horse that is very hard to win with.
Monkfish is the second fav at 10/3. He too had his last win in 2021 but he has only run twice since then. He missed all of 2022 and both his runs came in April last season.
At Fairyhouse, after two years on the sidelines he was beat half a length by Asterion Forlonge (20f yld/sft). He then bombed out at Punchestown two weeks later and he hasn’t been seen since. Maybe first time up is the time to catch him but his best form is on better ground than this.
Bog Monsters
The other two runners in here will relish the ground. Farouk D’Alene loves the muck and he is 2/2 on heavy ground over 3 miles. He was beat a neck in a 23f heavy ground handicap at Leopardstown over Christmas off 145 under a 7lb claimer. Would that be good enough to win this? Probably not but his ability to handle the conditions is a big plus.
The elder lemon in this field, Summerville Boy, is another bog monster. It is hard to believe it is six years since we backed him to win the Supreme on heavy when with Tom George. I’m getting old! We were also on him e/w in this last year at 12/1 when he chased home Teahupoo.
Bumped Into One
The son of Sandmason has raced on ground with heavy in the description five times in his career. Those runs produced form figures of 11242, with the last 2nd coming at Navan (25f hvy) in December in a handicap off 140. He was beat 7L for the win but he bumped into a Willie Mullins horse that he was conceding over a stone to.
I’d put that run on a par with what Farouk D’Alene did last time out. There shouldn’t be such a big discrepancy in their prices and with doubts about Ashdale Bob and Monkfish, the 12/1 about Summerville Boy is too tempting to turn down. With Rachael Blackmore doing the steering, he is the e/w selection.
2024 Gowran Park Thyestes Meeting Tip: Summerville Boy e/w @ 12/1
2.50 – Goffs Thyestes Chase (Grade 3)
Last year we backed Espanito Bello ante-post for the Thyestes. Like all good e/w bets, he missed out on place money in fifth. He went on to win the Leinster National at Naas on his next start and he added the Brown Lad handicap hurdle (20f sft) off 128 at the same track on his seasonal return in November.
Last season he was effectively running off 135 with O’Sullivan’s claim, this year he is 15lbs higher. The handicapper might just have the 10yo’s number.
Big Fan
I am a big fan of Any Second Now. This lad may be a 12yo now but he looked as good as he ever has when winning a 20f G2 at Navan less than a year ago. He then pulled up at Aintree but the race was over for him almost before it began as he got badly hampered early and that cost him any chance.
He was running off 167 that day, he pitches up here off 148. That’s 11lbs lower than he was when beat 2.5l in the Grand National by Noble Yeats in 2022. However, he has run poorly on both previous visits to Gowran and the vast majority of his best form has come going left handed. For that reason, I’ll reluctantly leave him alone today.
Porterstown Winner
It would be remiss of me not to give friend of the blog Street Value a mention. We were on him at nice odds when he won the Porterstown in December and he ran well again off his revised mark over an inadequate trip at Cork (20f sft/hvy) last time.
Going right handed seems to suit this son of Well Chosen, as does testing ground. He has form figures of 12 on heavy ground at Gowran Park and his overall form figures on right handed tracks on heavy read 311212PP3. This trip will suit much better than 20f at Cork and he will again have the assistance of Danny Mullins in the plate.
On his last visit to Gowran Park he chased home Dunboyne over 20f. He has 10L to find with that rival but he was conceding 3lbs to him on that occasion. Today, he is in receipt of 6lbs so he is 9lbs better off. I don’t think he should be twice the price of Dunboyne and with trip, track and ground to suit, hopefully Street Value can do us another turn at odds of 14/1.
2024 Gowran Park Thyestes Meeting Tip: Street Value e/w @ 14/1 (6 places Hills) NAP
4.00 – Adare Manor Handicap Hurdle (80/123)
The one that appeals most at e/w odds in this 16f handicap hurdle is Ca Plane Pour Moi. Trained by Colm Murphy, this unexposed 6yo is having just his second run in handicap company. His first effort came in the Leopardstown contest won by Ataboycharlie (16f yld) and he was far from disgraced, finishing 7th of 23, 15L behind the winner but just 4L behind the 4th home, Dollar Nolimit.
Murphy has booked Sarah Kavanagh for the ride today and she takes off a handy 4lbs. She has yet to ride a winner for the yard but she has finished in the first 4 on 9 occasions from 24 rides. When riding for this owner she has 6 top 4 finishes from just 13 rides, a near 50% frame hitting strike rate.
As the name suggests, this gelding is by Pour Moi and out of an Oscar dam. A horse bred along very similar lines won on heavy ground at Catterick on Wednesday (One More Stroke) so the conditions today should be fine. In time, Ca Plane Pour Moi will probably stay further than this but hopefully the ground will ensure stamina comes into play. At odds of 8/1, he is the e/w selection.
