RACING:DEDIGOUT COULD help propel owner Michael O'Leary through the €1 million mark in prize money this season if successful in tomorrow's Grade Two feature at Naas.
The Ryanair boss sees his Gigginstown House Stud colours carried by a number of interestingly named runners tomorrow, none more so than Beef To The Heels in one of the maiden hurdles.
Gigginstown go into the weekend having won €957,230 in prize money this season which puts them second in the owners’ table behind leader JP McManus who has more than €1.1 million.
O’Leary’s horses however easily outgun McManus’s in terms of strike rate with a close on one-in-four average. Dedigout has contributed twice already but could take a significant step up the novice pecking order in Ireland if he can score against five rivals in the Grade Two Slaney Novice Hurdle.
A Punchestown winner in November he subsequently beat another of tomorrow’s field, Mart Lane, and looks a horse rapidly on the upgrade.
Lyreen Legend upset the odds on Jenari on his last start at Navan, Flycorn wasn’t beaten that far by Steps To Freedom at Cheltenham while Monksland is open to any kind of improvement on the back of his own maiden success.
However Dedigout can give his owner a helping hand towards that million mark.
There will be plenty of interest in the preceding novice chase where Gigginstown runs Westmeath and Flemenstar bids to embellish a reputation built on a good second to Bog Warrior and then an impressive win at Navan.
Co Dublin trainer Peter Casey thinks the world of Flemenstar who runs at two miles against five opponents including the Willie Mullins’s Lambro.
The champion trainer’s decision to drop Lambro back to the minimum trip is significant, considering he beat Shinrock Paddy here over two and a half and is a three mile scorer over hurdles, but Flemenstar could have too much boot for him in the closing stages.
The form of Chill’s Christmas victory at Leopardstown will get a few mentions before the four-year-old maiden is run but probably not in any conclusive way.
Dermot Weld’s Hisaabaat lost his rider at the second on St Stephen’s Day and the well-fancied Sportsmaster subsequently lost Tony McCoy when badly hampered at the fourth.
JP McManus also runs the newcomer Gentleman Duke tomorrow but Sportsmaster, a flat winner in June at both the Curragh and Roscommon, still looks an interesting recruit to jumping.
The McManus colours can also score with Moville in the handicap chase while the Dansili gelding Silver Concorde could be good enough to account for Un Atout in the bumper.
