Johnny Ward's Irish Angle: Voices can make himself heard at Thurles
By Johnny Ward
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
No racing takes place on Sunday or Monday, with the action in Ireland returning on Wednesday, affording racing staff a measure of time off.
This has been an astonishing year in Ireland weather-wise, with remarkable extremes becoming the norm. So it is that the last meeting of the season before Christmas takes place on good ground at Thurles.
If you have yet, like me, to go Christmas shopping, perhaps an each-way treble on these selections will render it less of a chore. Happy Christmas to all those who have followed my selections this year.
Without Gigginstown runners at the track, this has been a quiet year for Mouse Morris, and one of his leading lights is Last Man Standing, who is owned by John Magnier.
Promising in two-mile maiden hurdles, he was impressive when stepped up to three miles last February, winning his maiden at this venue.
Both his chase starts have been perfectly encouraging and he should be hard to beat here, with nothing of the calibre of Chris’s Dream, the Navan winner last time, to worry about.
Johnny Ward
Finished: 2ndSP: 7/4
"He’s a tricky auld devil and Shane Kelly rides him every day. Today he didn’t know he was in a race and Danny gave him a lovely spin around. He’ll keep going in those type of races, and as the ground gets softer he might improve."
So said Mags Mullins after Gunfire Reef beat Se Mo Laoch recently at Punchestown, having gotten a peach of a ride from her son Danny.
Se Mo Laoch finds plenty for pressure, winning his next start, and yet Gunfire Reef seemed to have a nice bit in hand. He has barely done any racing for a handicap chaser and he can follow up here.
Johnny Ward
Finished: 12thSP: 8/1
This looks a winnable handicap, with two of them racing from quite some way out of the weights into the bargain.
Voices Of Spring, the lowest weight in the race in the handicap proper, is overdue another success.
It is remarkable that he has not won since April 2015, the form of that maiden win rendering him something of a certainty here, but at least Tony Martin has been creeping back into form.
Take out the chucked-in Wonder Laish and he was not beaten far at Navan last time. He has dropped another 1lb.
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