Tipping / Timeform / 12 April 2012 /

A twilight meeting at Gowran provides today's Irish action.....

The first division of the mile handicap at 17:10 looks an ordinary affair. Legendary Times and Mellow Manner are two of the market leaders and both hold sound claims, but they don't look to represent much value so a better option could be Hollymount King. He won a similar event over this course and distance last year off a 3 lb lower mark, pulling clear with one who racked up two handicap successes in the following weeks. He was a bit below par after that but looked more straightforward with the headgear removed over hurdles, winning a maiden at Punchestown, and has had valid excuses on his last three starts. He's well drawn to adopt front-running tactics and has a promising claimer on board, so should make a bold bid.

Night Singer (17:40) may be coming here on the back of a win at Cork but he still looks one to be against in division two of the mile handicap. Things panned out well for him that day, well drawn and suited by the end-to-end gallop, and he now has a 5 lb penalty to carry in what looks a slightly stronger affair. Ring Them Bells is bred to be useful but starts out in handicaps off a lowly mark, To The Sky looks well treated on his hurdles form and is fitted with cheekpieces, Orafinitis won here last year and is now off a lower mark, whilst the likes of Kalacan and Waterloo Sunrise both have solid placed efforts to their names in recent weeks.

Calgacus and Chicago both shaped well behind Azamata at Leopardstown last month and hold Derby entries, but at more then double the odds of that pair Macbeth is the one who appeals most in the mile-and-a-half maiden at 19:10. He was quite an expensive yearling (sold for €160,000) and achieved form on a par with the two market leaders on both starts as a two-year-old, shaping like a middle-distance performer in the making when third at Navan on second occasion. Ken Condon has made a good start to the campaign, too, which further stregthens the case for Macbeth.

Timeform SmartPlays

Back Hollymount King in the 17:10
Place lay Night Singer in the 17:40
Back Macbeth in the 19:10

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