Eight races in store at Kilbeggan's first meeting
Friday evening's card is interesting
Kilbeggan Racecourse hosts its Spring National Hunt meeting on Friday with an action-packed eight-race card for punters heading to the track.
The card kicks off at 4.15pm with a maiden hurdle over the two-mile trip before coming to a close at 7.59pm as a field of 18 look set to line up for the two-mile bumper.
Read below for a preview of the Kilbeggan card courtesy of BetBrothers. https://betbrothers.ie/
Up first is a 14-runner maiden hurdle (4.15) and the Gordon Elliott-trained Master Haku looks the way to go in the opener having shown promise when second at Cork in November and further progress is expected for the top Cullentra yard.
Another 14-runner contest is up next, this time a handicap hurdle, at 4.50. Piccolo Player is the selection in race two, despite some less than stellar form on paper, shaping well at Limerick last time out before a shuddering error put him out of the picture so a repeat of the form shown before the mistake should see him go well in this big-field handicap.
A division handicap hurdle for horses rated between 0-100 is race three on the Kilbeggan card (5.23) where Pourquoi Poi looks on a workable mark and has tasted success at Punchestown previously so makes the shortlist, while division two of the same discipline (5.56) can go the way of Gino Bella, another who has shaped well in recent starts and looks ready to strike.
A field of 16 runners will take on the three-mile handicap hurdle (6.28) where preference is given to Live To Laugh for trainer Peter Fahey, a comfortable winner of his last two starts at Thurles and colonel over fences and is now 10lb higher in the handicap moving back to hurdles but that shouldn't stop a bold bid for a hat-trick.
Gaoth Chuil looks the way to go in race six (6.59) having re-discovered some much-needed form when second at Clonmel last month and in receipt of weight from all his rivals, can be very much at the top of the shortlist here while in the penultimate contest of the day (7.29) and Gordon Elliott could get a double on the card with Iamagetaway, switched to the powerful yard having finished seventh when last seen on course for previous trainer James Fahey.
Finally, the card comes to a close at 7.59 with the two-mile bumper and it’s always hard to look past a Willie Mullins horse in these contests if he enters one - and he has here with Lultimatom, a £225,000 buy out of the points that didn’t like the sharpness of Fakenham when turned over at prohibitive odds last time out but this is a different prospect altogether.