Fergie’s Sunday selections

Paul Ferguson has two selections for us on Sunday; Henry Higgins and De Name Escapes Me both in the Leopardstown 14:25. Compare odds and bet.

Leopardstown stages a cracking card on Sunday, with Willie Mullins once again saddling a couple of exciting novices in the shape of Pylonthepressure and Killultagh Vic.

The former bumped into the smart Tombstone on debut and faces another good bumper winner here in the shape of Our Duke, while the latter is likely to be sent off at prohibitive odds in the Grade 2 novice chase, a race the yard has won in recent years with Sir Des Champs, Djakadam and Vautour.

At home on heavy ground, the Martin Pipe winner will relish the step up in trip and should make it two from two over fences.

Earlier on the card, there are a couple of competitive handicaps, particularly the 2m Coral.ie Hurdle, which looks very deep indeed.

Impressive Galway winner Vive La France and, even more so, Desoto County, who won with plenty in hand on his debut for Gordon Elliott, should make any shortlist, but this can go the way of owner JP McManus, who has no fewer than nine runners carrying his silks.

Barry Geraghty has opted to ride market leader After Rain and he certainly shaped well in a decent contest last time, but those comments also apply to Henry Higgins (2:25) who is a much bigger price and certainly makes some appeal at the odds.

The six-year-old hit the front going really well in that Fairyhouse handicap, looking the most likely winner before fading into fifth late on.  It could be a different story if Robbie Power can hold on to him for longer and, while he hasn’t been the most consistent to date over hurdles, he has the ability to land a pot like this.

The second and fourth (Diamond King and Keppols Queen) have come out of that Fairyhouse race and won, so the form looks strong, and, in comparison with After Rain (just under 5 lengths ahead of him), he is the value call.  He was trading at 33’s (in a place) and 25’s at the time of writing on Friday evening.

Another McManus runner I like is De Name Escapes Me (14s at the time of writing), so you might want to split stakes at the odds.

Noel Meade’s novice travels really strongly so might just be suited by a race of this nature and the drop back in trip isn’t too much of a concern given the likely ground.  The six-year-old holds an entry in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and would need to be going close here, if connections are considering a trip to Berkshire.

Of the remainder Archive is the other that catches the eye at the prices (another 33-1 shot), given his form with the classy Disko.  He travelled up strongly when beaten here last time and the drop in trip should help on the ground.  A classy bumper performer last term, he is another that is capable of going well at rewarding odds in a what should be a cracking contest.

Sunday’s selection:
2:25 Leopardstown: Henry Higgins e/w
De Name Escapes Me e/w

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