2.25 Cork
Creggs Pipes 16/1
I genuinely can't get over how Andrew Slattery's 4 year old Creggs Pipes is the price she is and I think if she's fully wound up on her seasonal debut then she has an outstanding chance of landing this winnable contest. Having appeared twice late as a 2 year old, Creggs Pipe had a progressive looking profile last year as a 3 year old which saw her pick up 2 quick ground wins at Leopardstown in small fields - the latest of which coming off this mark of 77 just two starts ago. Her trainer said that she prefers soft ground so she should handle today's prevailing conditions just fine. Her last start came back in September in a valuable 6f handicap at the Curragh when she was a huge eye catcher and the handicapper has crazily dropper her 5lb for that run. In a much tougher contest where she was bottom weight rated 82 (top weight 102), Creggs Pipes was prominent on the near side rail throughout and, having still looked full of running with about 1f to go, she was badly hampered by her stable mate and was subsequently eased when all her chance was gone. She looked absolutely full of running and in a much, much easier race and off a 5lb lower mark she's going to find this contest considerably easier. With a great draw in stall 2, I'm expecting Declan McDonogh to either try and make all or have her in the first 4 throughout. Although there's a chance she could need the run, she's run well fresh in the past and I think the fact that she is entered in a Listed contest rated just 77 says an awful lot of what connections think about both her ability and her race readiness. With ground expected to suit, dropping significantly in grade, back down to her last winning mark and well drawn in stall 2, I think the current price available is absolutely crazy and I'm seriously confident that she can land this prize.
