Dave Nevison: this muddy marvel can strike at Goodwood

Matchless seemed to have benefitted from a spin on the all-weather when finishing fourth over today’s course and distance last time. 

He is now 3lbs lower than his latest win over hurdles and was campaigned in higher grade handicaps than this last season. So, assuming he progresses for that reappearance run he should go very close in this modest event. 

Sean Quinlan has won on him twice over hurdles and keeps the mount here. 

Two of Tiriac’s three career victories have come on heavy ground and Jack Channon has the four-year-old well entered up after recent deluges. He will get ideal conditions here and can take advantage. 

Tiriac scored back-to-back victories in the spring at Windsor and York and rose up the ratings, but he has slipped back down a little now and is lower than when he was third at York in a 20- runner 0-85 handicap on soft ground in June. 

He has not had his optimum conditions since then, but is down to 0-80 grade here. I expect to see a much better performance. 

Limerick Leader didn’t get on with chasing at all when with Rose Dobbin. However, his hurdles mark declined in tandem and that must have prompted his current owners to go to £27,000 for this seven-year-old, who is rated just 86 and now with Olly Murphy. 

He never looked like winning when beaten ten lengths on his first hurdles run for Murphy last time but it didn’t look as though all was lost. 

He has dropped another 2lb in the weights and has cheekpieces applied this time (has had a variety of headgear tried for his former yard) so hopefully he can go some way to justifying his price tag.