Dundalk Friday Tips: Three to back under the lights

The opening 7f fillies' maiden (17:00) at Dundalk on Friday features a couple of juveniles that set a reasonable standard on form, namely Freedom Falls and Tea Tree Bay.

The former in particular has run to a fair level on her last couple of starts, most recently when runner-up to Lord Massusus at the Curragh last month. She'd preceded that with a good fourth in a valuable sales race at the same course and looks a worthy favourite based on those outings.

However, she's had four starts now and may just have hit the limit of her ability while a few of the opposition have yet to show their full hands, notably Johnny Murtagh's once-raced filly Fast Tara.

A nicely bred daughter of Fast Company, she's related to a couple of useful middle-distance performers and caught the eye on debut when sixth in a Naas maiden last month.

The selection made a big move into contention that day before flattening out, shaping much better than the bare result. She should have learnt plenty for that initial experience and I'm taking her to improve past the standard-setting favourite.

Cordouan still unexposed

The 1m handicap at 19:00 contains plenty of horses that have few secrets from the handicapper, though the lightly-raced Cordouan is a notable exception.

He's clearly a horse who's had his fair share of problems being a 4-y-o with just four starts under his belt, but he's got plenty of ability and could have been let in lightly off a mark of 90 on handicap debut.

An all-weather maiden winner for John & Thady Gosden in April last year, he was subsequently sold to the Ado McGuinness yard for 32,000 guineas and made a winning bow for his new connections at this year's Laytown meeting.

He looked set to win more easily than he did in the end, though it's understandable he got a little tired in the closing stages (wandered around in front), narrowly getting the job done by a short head.

That was his first start for the best part of 18 months and he's entitled to strip much fitter for the outing. I'll be disappointed if he can't take advantage of this opening mark from what looks a good draw in stall 4.

Well-bred Commander to come good

The 1m4f handicap (20:30) that closes the card is also a race that contains plenty of exposed types and I'm siding with another lower-mileage type in Fleet Commander.

Aidan O'Brien's Galileo colt didn't show a great deal in his first two starts but improved markedly on his third outing and shaped with a bit of promise on handicap debut at this track last month.

He was a bit slowly away that day and also ended up trapped wider than ideal so did well under the circumstance to be beaten juts under 4 lengths into sixth.

That effort came over 1m2f and he looks sure to appreciate stepping back up to this longer trip, his pedigree backing up that assertion (full brother to high-class 1m 4f Russian Emperor).

Given his excellent pedigree, it will be something of a surprise if Fleet Commander can't make his mark in handicaps from a perch in the mid-70s and he's open to more progression than most he'll meets at this time of year.