Sunday Irish Racing Tips: Torygraph fancied to return to form

Sunday's Irish action is understandably low key as we come out of four fantastic days of racing at Cheltenham, where horses trained in the Emerald Isle dominated on the final day, scooping all seven races.

By Gordon Elliott's own high standards, a return of just two winners on the week at Prestbury Park is sure to prove a bit of a disappointment, though I'm siding with him to gain some consolation in the Randox Ulster National (15:45) that headlines Downpatrick's Sunday card.

At first glance, it looks a bit of a stretch to make a cogent case for Torygraph in this competitive staying chase, though he's got bits and pieces of form that can make him competitive here off a mark of 129.

The son of Mahler actually started his chasing career in promising fashion when third behind French Dynamite at Punchestown in November. To say it's all been downhill for Torygraph after that, though, would be something of an understatement.

In four starts since that good effort, he's been beaten a cumulative total of 238 lengths, with the closest he's got to winning a race coming when a 36-length third to En Beton on New Year's Eve, again at Punchestown.

However, it's worth bearing mind that Torygraph has faced some stiff tasks in those four races and this handicap outing will be in the lowest grade of race he's contested since making that promising debut.

It's also worth noting that despite attracting a field of 15 (with 3 reserves), not many of his rivals are coming into this in great form either. For the prize money on offer, I don't think we've got a race that's quite as deep as it appears at first glance, and I think Torygraph is worth chancing for a trainer who certainly knows the time of day when it comes to getting horses back into form.

Potential handicap blot

As I'm writing this before any prices are available, I'm going to take a chance that Memory Of Youth will be a backable price in the 2m 3f handicap chase (16:20) that follows the Ulster National.

Based purely on her chase form, Denis Foster's mare would have little chance in this contest, but she's been a much-improved performer over hurdles of late and goes back over the bigger obstacles potentially very well treated.

The application of blinkers for her last four starts appears to have been the catalyst for a series of good efforts, including a pair of wins at Fairyhouse in January and February.

Her latest run when third to Where's Frankie was better than it looked, too, as she paid the price for pressing on with the bang-in-form winner from three out.

That effort came from a hurdles mark of 103, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Memory Of Youth could be a potential handicap blot as she goes back over the bigger obstacles from a perch of just 78.

She rates a confident selection and will be a bet at anything around the 3.02/1 mark.

Have Faith in Loving to do the business

Maiden hunter chases wouldn't normally be my punting vehicle of choice, though I'm sweet on the chances of Faith Loving in just such a race at 16:55.

Caroline McCaldin's gelding was fourth to Dorking Cock in a hunter chase at Down Royal on Boxing Day - form which reads very well in the contest of this race.

He proved himself to still be in good heart last time too when taking a point-to-point at Farmaclaffley by half a length from Everything Now.

Some of his previous form from the pointing field also marks him out as having a very strong chance here, including when beaten narrowly at Loughanmore in October, that coming on the heels of a win at Moira earlier the same month.