Ballinrobe, Sunday 25 May: Tips and Selections

Ballinrobe, Sunday 25 May: Tips and Selections

Ballinrobe is one of Irish racing’s most underrated tracks, a tight, galloping circuit in County Mayo where course form and stamina count for a great deal. Good ground today suits athletic jumpers rather than heavy-ground sluggers, and with three competitive handicaps on the card, there is genuine value to be found at double-figure prices. Gordon Elliott is firing at a decent clip over the last fortnight, which is always worth noting when his runners line up at provincial tracks where market expectations sometimes undershoot.

6:35 — McHale Mayo National Handicap Chase (Listed, 2m7½f)

Nineteen runners in a Listed staying handicap chase. This is the race of the day at Ballinrobe and the market is genuinely open. Five places at 1/5 odds makes each-way punting the sensible approach at the top of the weights and beyond.

Maxxum (4/1, Boyle Sports) is the obvious Elliott flagbearer and the form at Clonmel and Killarney is solid enough. He is relatively inexperienced over fences, though, and a 19-runner field will test his jumping in a way those smaller fields did not. He could still go well, but the price reflects his claims fairly accurately.

The selection at a bigger price is Invictus Machin Each-Way (6/1, Boyle Sports/Betfred). Harry Cobden does not travel to Ballinrobe on a whim. He partnered this horse for the first time at Punchestown last time out, which looks very much like a sighter before the main event. Cromwell’s yard has been ticking along in the background, and the key piece of form here is that Listed second at Leopardstown in March, beaten a neck off this kind of mark. He is 8yo, well-handicapped relative to that effort, and Cobden gives the operation a serious upgrade in the saddle. Good ground suits.

Drumgill Each-Way (14/1, Boyle Sports/Betfred) cannot be ignored given his course record. Three hurdle wins here and an excellent second in last year’s renewal of this very race tells you the track suits him down to the ground. He has been below par since that Listed win at Fairyhouse in November, but a break and a return to a track he loves at a mark he can work with makes him a genuine each-way runner at the price.

5:35 — McHale Mayo Handicap Hurdle (2m6½f)

Seventeen runners over two and a half miles of hurdles. The going is good, which suits sharp, accurate jumpers rather than those who need cut to show their best.

Sign From Above (14/1, Boyle Sports/LiveScore Bet) is the pick at a healthy price. The Punchestown run last time, where he faded late over a longer trip in yielding ground, reads better on a second look. He is sharper now after that comeback, this shorter distance is clearly in his favour, and he has form on the Flat here at Ballinrobe which confirms the track suits. Peter Fahey’s yard has been quiet over the last fortnight but this horse is at his last winning mark and the conditions align.

Jacovec Cavern (6/1, Boyle Sports) appeals to the win-only punter. That 11-length victory at Punchestown was emphatically done, and yes the handicapper has hit him hard with an 11lb rise, but horses who win that convincingly off a sound surface sometimes carry the penalty well. Richard Condon, a sharp conditional, takes off 5lb and brings that figure back to a more manageable level. The concern is consistency, which has never been this horse’s strongest suit.

Collaborative (8/1, Boyle Sports) would prefer softer, so the good ground counts against him today despite a lively recent record in the frame.

7:05 — McHale F5 Range Veterans Handicap Chase (2m3½f)

Fourteen veterans in a 2m3½f handicap and this race has a fairly clear logical path through the form book.

Supreme Jet (10/3, Boyle Sports/Betfred) is the market leader and the form merits it. His win at Wexford was a ready one, cheekpieces reapplied on the day and the response was immediate. Several of these rivals were behind him that day. Yes, he is 8lb higher now, and the good ground is slightly drier than ideal, but Oliver McKiernan has kept him ticking along sensibly and Phillip Enright knows this horse well. The price is short but genuine.

The each-way alternative worth a second look is Magnor Glory Each-Way (11/1, Boyle Sports). He has won over hurdles and fences at this track, which is a significant piece of course knowledge in a veterans’ contest where many rivals have never set foot here. His last run was on the Flat in August, which suggests this race has been a planned target. Terence O’Brien is a patient trainer and the combination of course form, a low-mileage horse who has been freshened up, and an attractive price makes him worthy of each-way support at 4 places, 1/5 odds.

Today’s NAP