Back to normal

After the excitement of the Breeders Cup, it is back to normal today, with two modest N.H. fixtures in the U.K., but better class racing on offer in Ireland -both at the flat meeting at Leopardstown (the final flat meeting on turf) and over jumps at Cork. Aidan O´Brien seems to have an unending supply of top 2yo´s this year and could take all 3 races for juveniles at Leopardstown.

In the listed race at 16.00 CET he saddles Tibet (Colm O´Donoghue) and Tower Rock (Seamus Heffernan), both maiden winners last time out; and in the two maidens that open the card he has Twirl (Heffernan) at 13.50, and Hail (O´Donoghue) and the debutant Place Vendome (Heffernan) at 14.20 to represent him. Needless to say, all are superbly bred. Dermot Weld has 3 runners in the listed race over 7 furlongs at 14.50, with stable jockey Pat Smullen partnering our selection Northern Rocked; Seeharn (Kevin Prendergast/ Declan McDonough), one of only 2 3yo´s in the field, looks the main danger. Weld and Smullen can also take the big betting race here, the 2 miles November Handicap at 17.05, with Hidden Universe; the smart bumper horse and hurdler is running for only the third time on the flat. He gets 15 lbs from last year´s winner What a Charm (John Oxx/ Johnny Murtagh), also a smart hurdler, and we think that should be enough to swing it.

4 of the 6 runners in the Grade 3 novice chase over 2 1/2 miles at16.20 at Cork met over this CD 3 weeks ago, when De Velira (Jim Morrissey/ Paul Townend) scored by a nose from First Lieutenant (Mouse Morris/ Davy Russell), while Stephanie Kate (Charlie Swan/ DG Hogan) and Ordinary Man (Willie Burke/ Shay Barry) both fell. The weights favour de Valira to win again. The big betting race here is the Cork Grand National at 15.15, in which leading jumps owner JP McManus holds a strong hand with Smoking Aces (Tom Taaffe/ MPWalsh) and last year´s winner Streets of Gold (Christy Roche/ Alan Crowe); we just favour the former, noted running on strongly over an inadequate distance last time.

In Wales. we hope to see German-bred Moon over Miami (Charlie Mann/ Noel Fehily) run well in the handicap chase over 2 miles at 15.35 at Ffos Las. He won this race last year and is now extremely well handicapped following some lacklustre efforts since. Another one who has come down in the weights is Raslan (David Pipe/ Conor O´Farrell) in the 3 mile handicap hurdle at 16.10.

Pipe sends his stable jockey to Market Rasen to partner ex-French Kazlian in the 3yo hurdle at 14.15. Scu also has two good rides for David Bridgwater in Wyck Hill at 15.50 and Double Chocolate at 16.25, who has Stagecoach Opal from Sue Smith´s in-form stable to beat.