Irish Racing / Wayne Bailey / 15 September 2009 / Leave a comment

Wayne Bailey takes a look at the week-long 'harvest festival' where the highlight of the week is Wednesday's Guinness Kerry National...

“In today’s maiden at 3.55, Mujaazef should open the account albeit at a short price. My own ratings have him six pounds clear under today’s conditions and he should have enough to keep Takajan at bay.”

The Listowel festival is already underway in county Kerry and traditionally, this was the meeting where farmers would gather to relax, drink and have a few bets following the gathering of the autumn harvest. The festival has a rich history and has been taking place in Listowel since 1858 after it moved from the nearby Ballyeagh. The festival lasts for seven days, and other than Galway, no other festival on these isles lasts that long.

The highlight of the week is The Guinness Kerry National Handicap Chase, which is run over a three mile distance. Ponmeoath has managed to win the past two renewals of the race but the handicapper may have him in his grip this time. It's an important race on the Irish calendar and the 2002 winner Monty's Pass went on to win the Aintree Grand National the following April.

At the time of writing, Green Mile heads the betting, a horse trained by Tony Martin. He's known as the 'handicap king' in Ireland, but I must admit that I find his horses hard to follow and try my best to avoid backing them. Green Mile was back over hurdles last time out at Kilbeggan but probably left it a bit too late and ended up second to Themoonandsixpence. All considered, he's treated fairly in the weights but a single figure price is too short in this tricky handicap.

Paco Jack has been holding his own in handicap company and is shaping up to be a decent chaser. I always rated Joe Crowley's gelding as a juvenile hurdler and I reckon he has a good future ahead over fences.

Of the outsiders, Dashing George and Florida Express make some appeal. It's been a while since the former ran a good chase race, but he's a better horse than his basic form figures suggest and has been unlucky on occasion. At these weights, he could run a big race and a place is not out of the question. The latter has also been unlucky and his jockey lost his whip last time out at Naas in a race he probably would have won otherwise. He's been chalked up around [20.0] in the early markets which looks a little too high, although at the time of writing, it's doubtful that he will make the final line-up.

Conem is another one to consider and is also better than his recent form suggests. In my estimation, he could be a pound or two ahead of the handicapper and could be worth a place bet, depending on prices.

***

In today's maiden at 3.55, Mujaazef should open the account albeit at a short price. My own ratings have him six pounds clear under today's conditions and he should have enough to keep Takajan at bay. He traded as low as [1.17] a couple of weeks ago at the Curragh, but was narrowly beaten by David Wachman's Song Of My Heart. That horse has since gone on to win a Listed race so Mujaazef is the clear form choice today.

Earlier on at 2.25, Jim Bolger's Super Hoofer is overpriced in the Listowel O'Callaghan Family Hotels European Breeders Fund Maiden. The filly's previous two races were nothing to write home about and I'm not so sure that first time cheek pieces are a positive sign at this early stage of her career. However, it's a fairly weak contest and the inclusion of an unraced O'Brien horse (Big Occasion) has ensured that Super Hoofer's price has lengthened a little. He's no dead cert but of those that have a rating, he's definitely the one that stands out.

Tags: Green Mile, Harvest Festival, Irish Racing, Jim Bolger, Kerry National, Listowel, Mujaazef, Wayne Bailey