Leopardstown 29th

My few for today:

12.20 Voler La Vedette will be very hard to beat in this. Hes only been beaten in 2 of 8 career starts and those two losses came on the two times he raced on ground that was good or firmer. Hes been highly impressive in both wins this season and his 13 length defeat of Go Native (admittedly in receipt of 9lbs) could hardly be working out better. He won a maiden hurdle at this meeting last year and there are very few negatives. Saying all that he is priced up accordingly.
Rossdara (w/o Voler La Vedette) might be the one to be on outside of the favourite. She defeated the useful Arabella Boy by 5 lengths in a Cork bumper on heavy in April.
She won on her hurdling debut first time out this season in a 2m4f Clonmel maiden hurdle on soft ground. She travelled well throughout the race and took it up before two out. She hung badly left in the straight and joined at the last after losing ground jumping it but was able to reassert in the final 100 yards. The form of the run has worked out very well with the 3rd and 6th both running out winners by 10+ lengths in maiden hurdles next time out. The runner-up has run creditably twice since while the 7th took 2nd on her chasing debut next time out.
Rossdara was dropped back to 2 miles next time out when running a grade 3 Down Royal hurdle. She was still right there with the winner Premier Victory after jumping 3 out but was unable to go with her when the pace was injected and she was eventually caught for 2nd by Grangeclare Gold very late on. Premier Victory gave the form a big boost when by winning a grade 3 hurdle at Cork by an easy 11 lengths. The 8th place, Fine Call, was place in a handicap hurdle off 102 next time out while the 9th place, Royal Choice, won a grade 3 novice chase next time out.
The drop back to 2 miles and the fact the race came just 8 days after her first run of the season would have been against her. Todays step back up to 2m 4f and a 53 day lay-off will be far more suitable and she looks the most likely to give Voler La Vedette a race.
Tom Cooper has not had a winner in the last 30 days although 6 of his 8 runners have made the places.

12.55 looks like a no bet race to me. The two I'd consider are Sweet Wake or Save My Bacon.
Sweet Wake (each way) for Noel Meade who has won this race 3 times in the last 10 years and whose horses are in top form. He won his maiden hurdle over CD at this meeting in 2005 but has had plenty of problems since finishing 5th in that seasons Ballymore Hurdle at Cheltenham. He should be sharper for his flat at Navan last time and might be worth taking a chance on in this very open hurdle.
Save My Bacon was well backed in the cancelled handicap hurdle yesterday and having won over course and distance in a maiden hurdle in March 08 she will be sharper for her two runs this season after a lay-off of 18 months.

1.25 Voy Por Ustedes (each way) has the right profile from as trends perspective to win this race. Hes a grade 1 winner, trained in England who comes here on the back of a good 3rd in a graded chase. He falls down on only one key point, not having won over 3 miles, though his only previous attempt at this trip was a decent 3rd in last season's King George.
He has only finished outside the first 3 in 2 of his 22 previous runs over fences and although he is a former winner of the Queen Mother he looks a better horse over further than 2 miles these days. In the last 2 seasons he has run 6 of his 12 races over 2m 4f or further and in those runs he has posted his 4 best RPRs of the past 2 seasons.
Voy Por Ustedes was only beaten 8 lengths by Kauto Star on his only previous run over 3 miles in last seasons King George when 3rd. It was one of his best efforts and a reproduction of that run would entitle him to go very close.
Hes been beaten first time out for the past 3 seasons but does usually come on plenty for his first run. He was 3rd in the grade 2 Amlin chase, beaten just under 5 lengths by Albertas Run, to whom he was conceding 10lbs. He would have been much closer and may even have won but for a litany of jumping errors.
The return to a left-handed track should suit Voy Por Ustedes and he fits most of the main trends. He will need to clean up his jumping but he is ultra consistent and he looks a superb each way bet at 8/1 PP

2.00 Im not overly keen on backing Solwhit at evens although he does look the one to beat. Say what you like about the slow early pace in the Fighting Fifth not suiting Binocular, it most certainly didnt suit Solwhit who has won the grade 1 Aintree Hurdle over 2m4f last season.
His win in the Morgiana was impressive but theres every chance Hurricane Fly wasnt 100% that day and Muirhead has always struck me as just being short of the very top level. Muirhead made the pace in the Morgiana, and although it wasnt that strong a pace it did set it up for Solwhit to sweep past him late on. I would think that Meade might opt for hold-up tactics once again.
If Muirhead doesnt make the early pace then there is every chance this will be a slowly run affair and in that case I think the race might develop to suit Sublimity, who won the race in 2008 on yielding ground off a moderate pace.
Sublimity prefers better ground and he wouldnt want it any softer than the current yielding. Hes won 2 of his 3 runs at Leopardstown, both wins came on ground with yielding in the description and the loss came when 4th in last seasons Irish Champion Hurdle on unsuitably heavy ground.
Sublimity finished 3¼ lengths ahead of Solwhit last time and that run also gives him the beating of Muirhead.
Hes won on both his previous runs at this meeting and if the ground remains yielding or better hes the best value at 9/2 PP.


2.30 Chasing Cars made a very promising debut over fences beaten 11 lengths by Sports Line over 2m 1f at Navan on heavy.
He was a useful hurdler, finishing runner-up to Cooldine in a grade 2 novice hurdle on his penultimate start. He was off the track for 20 months before his next run when 3rd in a beginners chase last time.
Todays 2m3f trip on yielding should suit him a lot better than the 2m1f on heavy last time. His best form over hurdles came over 2m4f and both his wins came on ground with yielding in the description. He was going to be the pick but price is nowhere near as big as I was hoping for
Zaarito is the obvious danger as he probably would have beaten Captain Cee Bee last time with a better jump over the last but his problem has been his jumping and there is no guarantee he will get around (Colm Murphy saddled Big Zeb in this last year who fell).
Watch out for Citizen Vic for Willie Mullins who has saddled some nice types in this like By My Royal, Our Ben and Deutschland.

3.00 Keep Me (each way) has the right profile to win this. His 3rd in a handicap chase last time out looks good with the 5th finishing 2nd next time out off the same mark and the 7th finishing 3rd off 1lb lower next time out.
Keep Me has only gone up 2lbs for his last run and if able to build on his last outing he will go close at 18/1 VC.

3.30 Some Slam won a 2m Listowel bumper on his racecourse debut, running out an 8 length winner from Summit Meeting, who won his next 2 races. The 5th and 6th also both won next time out. He's the one to beat but is priced accordingly
John Kiely won this race in 2008 and he does well in bumpers here, having won with 2 of 4 runners and his only runner in a bumper at Lopeardstown this season was Frawley who was a slightly unclucky 3rd on Saturday. His runner today Shuil Dearg ran well on her racecourse debut when runner-up to the experienced Al Ferof. At 5/1 he is more tempting but I may skip this race as a betting medium.