Johnny Ward's Irish Racing Tips: Play it Cute at Gowran Park

They get straight into the virtuosity stakes at Gowran today with Bob Olinger making his chase debut in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at high noon.

It's far from a cakewalk on paper but he should win and those who've already backed him at quite short odds to win at Cheltenham will be expecting success.

Worryingly warm weather in Ireland this week means conditions remain 'summer soft' at worst at Gowran and Navan on Sunday, which I'll look at in the next column. Be lucky this weekend.

Our guest on On The Wire this week, Sean Flanagan, reckons Harry Alonzo will have learned a lot from his Galway hurdling introduction when his jumping betrayed his inexperience but clearly the winner then is very good also. He has a fitness and experience edge over some key rivals here and is quite a classy prospect.

Philip Fenton will probably strike while the iron is hot here and run Lake Chad for the third time in around four days. A strong traveller, he won easily at Limerick and beat everything bar the winner easily at Thurles.

He's in great nick and it's hard to see how he won't go close again if his trainer reckons he's up for the battle again. He's really unexposed as a two-mile handicapper and might have an edge over Young Fitzy.

Being quite closely related to De Rasher Counter, it would have been an affront to the pedigree, as a son of Fame And Glory, were this one not at least capable of winning a race. And at Clonmel last time, despite looking under pressure for much of the contest, she ended up winning readily. She seems to be saving a bit for herself, hence a minor enough rise in the weights, and there are lots of positives here.