Having been absent for the guts of two years Corbally Ghost now gets a second start in two days at Punchestown this afternoon and can reward Noel Meade’s decision to quickly turn him out again.
On Monday, the highly-regarded six-year-old was expected to provide Don Cossack with a test at Galway but only managed to get to the fourth fence before crashing out.
Corbally Ghost was well-backed on Monday and while it’s hardly ideal that he fell on his debut over fences, it does look significant Meade is running him again here in a hot looking contest.
Morning Assembly wound up last season winning a three mile Grade One novice hurdle here at the festival and has Ruby Walsh on his back.
Our Vinnie is another smart hurdler kicking off over fences while Clonbanan Lad and Operating have some experience under their belts. But Corbally Ghost can reward his trainer’s call.
The other Beginners Chase sees Henry De Bromhead pitch both Elegant Statesman and Too Scoops into action.
Improve significantly
The latter crashed out at Gowran in a race won by Art Of Logistics and is clearly smart but Elegant Statesman shapes like he will improve significantly for is Listowel run behind Run With The End and has always looked a potentially smart chaser. Lucky Bridle was a €110,000 purchase out of France for the Willie Mullins team on the back of a flat career that saw him twice placed at Listed level. He makes his jumping debut in the first while Toe The Line can get the better of Lucky Bridle's stablemate Shesafoxylady in the bumper.
Next month’s Grade Two Lismullen Hurdle at Navan is a likely next target for Rule The World who completed a remarkable return from a fractured pelvis by winning at Naas on Monday.
Runner-up to The New One at Cheltenham in March, the Mouse Morris-trained star subsequently injured himself at Punchestown in April.
His career, and at one stage his life, was in the balance but Rule The World completed his comeback in style and is now as low as 14/1 for the World Hurdle.
“He’s grand and we’ll move forward from here. For him to come back so quick after what happened is amazing really. We haven’t made any definite plans but the two and a half mile conditions hurdle (Lismullen) is an obvious place to go. We’ll see how we go from there,” Morris reported yesterday.
