Gowran Park Thursday Tips by Dave Stevos
Gowran Park Thursday Tips
It is Thyestes Day at Gowran Park on Thursday and the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle is another highlight. For once, the weather has been decent in the run up so it won’t be as bottomless as usual. Dave Stevos has already posted his preview for the big race, click here to see who he fancies for the Thyestes. You can check out the rest of his Gowran Park Thursday tips below.
1.00 – Langtons Handicap Hurdle (80-102)
A low grade, 16f handicap hurdle kicks off the action on Thyestes Day at Gowran Park. To say this is trappy would be an understatement and it is a race where anything could win. There is a sprinkling of unexposed handicap debutants that have shown no form in maidens. However, one that has displayed a glimmer of potential on a couple of occasions and who could outrun her odds of 33/1 is the locally trained Windsor Diamond.
This mare couldn’t win in thirteen flat runs but she has at least hit the frame a couple of times in six runs over timber. Her first couple of efforts at Wexford (16f hvy) and Punchestown (16f yld) were woeful. However, she managed to finish 3rd on her next start at Thurles (16f gd) and then 4th in another maiden at Tramore (16f sft).
She makes her handicap bow off a mark of 93 and on the form of her 15L 7th at Limerick over Xmas, that could be workable. She was conceding 4lbs to the 6th, Kilbarry Chianti, who she beat by a head and she was placed in a handicap off 102 next time out. Barcoe trains a stone’s throw from the track and he has 3 wins and 4 places from 14 runners at Gowran. Landers is 9/49 for the yard with 14 top 4 finishes and is +62.25 for a £1 stake. At odds of 33/1, Windsor Diamond is a speculative e/w selection.
Gowran Park Thursday Tips: Windsor Diamond e/w @ 33/1 (5 Places)
2.05 – Galmoy Hurdle (Grade 2)
A field of nine horses will contest this year’s Galmoy Hurdle, including Klassical Dream. Willie Mullins’ 8yo son of Dream Well has looked better than ever since returning from a layoff. He only ran twice in 2021 and he landed Grade 1s at Punchestown by 8L and Leopardstown by 2L. Paul Townend’s mount is the current 11/4 fav for the Stayers’ Hurdle in March and while this race isn’t the be all and end all for him, you’d still expect him to win it pretty handily (especially if he manages to nick a soft lead at the start again).
We backed Commander Of Fleet last time out when he was pulled up in that Leopardstown race won by Klassical Dream. On his penultimate start he ran his best race for the guts of two years when winning a handicap at Navan off 144. I think last time at Leopardstown he simply couldn’t live with the searing pace set by the winner and Flooring Porter. Things probably won’t happen quite as quickly in this race and the fact that Jack Kennedy is back in the saddle is a plus.
Kennedy has been on board for two of his last three wins so he knows how to get the best out of this horse. The likes of Royal Kahala, Gentlemansgame and Mr Adjudicator are all shorter in the betting than Commander of Fleet. However, if the Elliott horse reproduced the form of his Navan win, he should be more than capable of beating those three opponents. At odds of 20/1, I think he is worth giving one more chance to. Klassical Dream should win, hopefully we can nick some place money.
Gowran Park Thursday Tips: Commander Of Fleet e/w @ 20/1
2.35 – Handicap Hurdle (80-123)
The one I like in this 20.5f handicap hurdle is The Gradual Slope. Cork based handler Sean O’Brien trains this 5yo son of Shantou and he will be ridden by his owner’s son, Mark McDonagh. This horse showed some flashes of ability in maidens and novices last summer and he made his handicap debut on St Stephen’s Day at Leopardstown (16f sft). Sent off at 66/1 under Barry Browne, he ran a huge race to finish 4th of 26, just 7L behind the winner, The Greek.
The Gradual Slope was doing all his best work at the finish of that 16f heat. It looked like he’d benefit from a step up in trip and he got that at Punchestown last time. Sent off at just 17/2, Browne was on board again and he rode him as if connections had another day in mind. McDonagh gets the leg up for the first time in a handicap and with his claim, this horse is effectively 3lbs lower than he was at Leopardstown. Surely he’ll be doing his best this afternoon and if he is, he is capable of going very close at odds of 10/1.
