Roscommon, Tuesday 4 August 2026

Roscommon, Tuesday 4 August 2026

A seven-race card at Roscommon on good ground. The track suits patient, jump-capable horses and the going should ride honestly throughout. Three races stand out for punters looking for a clear angle, and Barry Connell’s remarkable 46% strike rate at this venue is the headline stat going into the evening. When Connell saddles at Roscommon, you pay attention.

7:00 — J.F. Hanley Groundscare Beginners Steeplechase (2m½f)

Selection: Hashtag Pretender (11/8, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

This is where the Barry Connell angle bites hard. A 46% win rate at Roscommon from 13 runners, with an A/E of 2.23, tells you this trainer turns up here ready to win. Hashtag Pretender is the clear vehicle this evening.

The form reads 3/23-F and the fall last time out, 59 days ago, is the only genuine question mark. Fitness could be marginal, and confidence over fences after a tumble always warrants a watch. But the two completed starts before that showed real ability, a third and a second, and he has already been tested over this trip on good ground. He knows what he is doing.

Impero is the logical danger. Consistent, experienced over the same conditions, and Jack Kennedy in the saddle gives him every chance. Kennedy hits 17% at Roscommon with a solid A/E of 0.92, so he is no passenger around here. But Impero has five starts over hurdles and fences without winning, and at 9/4 you are paying for consistency without the win. Connell’s horse at 11/8 is the value call.

Killeemore Lad is respected at 3/1, with consecutive seconds two and three starts back, but his fall last time mirrors the concern with Hashtag Pretender, and Andrew Slattery’s yard is striking at just 4/37 over the last fortnight.

Verdict: Back Hashtag Pretender at 11/8 with Boyle Sports or Betfred. Connell at Roscommon is not a stat you fade lightly.

5:25 — Curragh To Curragh Charity Cycle Maiden Hurdle (2m4f, 19 runners)

Selection: Minella Moon Shine Each-Way (7/2, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Nineteen runners in a maiden hurdle is a wide-open puzzle, and the each-way case is genuine with three places on offer at 1/5 odds. In races like this, trainer form and any fragment of credible form becomes the separator.

John J Nallen is the trainer to note here. He scores at 17% at Roscommon with an A/E of 1.01 and his record over the last 14 days reads 1/1 on the card. Minella Moon Shine has a form line of F/2, which tells you almost nothing in terms of depth, but a second on a completed start means this horse has jumped and competed. In a 19-runner maiden where several entries have form strings featuring P’s and U’s and nothing else, that second is a genuine positive.

Daniel King takes the ride, and Goodmancon at 13/2 is worth a mention for each-way punters who want a saver, given Ian Power aboard and a slightly longer form profile. But Minella Moon Shine at 7/2, trained by a yard that fires at this course, is the play.

Verdict: Minella Moon Shine each-way at 7/2. Three places at 1/5 in a 19-runner field, Nallen’s stable in form at the venue, and a runner with a placed effort already on the board.

6:00 — James Lohan Engineering Excellence Maiden Hurdle (1m7½f, 19 runners)

Selection: Clay Pigeons (7/4, Boyle Sports / Betfred)

Willie Mullins saddles Clay Pigeons and while the trainer’s overall Roscommon A/E of 0.91 suggests he does not fire everything here, his 22% strike rate from 292 runners still delivers results. More importantly, Brian Hayes gets the leg up, and the form figure of 11/12- means this horse has won twice from four hurdling starts. That record stands above everything else in this field.

Two wins, a second, and a second-to-last on the most recent outing keeps expectations in check. But Mullins does not ship these horses to provincial tracks without thinking they can win, and Hayes is a capable partner who will give the horse every chance on good ground over 1m7½f.

Chantilly Wings at 9/4 is the clear threat. A recent second from a form line of 4345-2 shows improvement in the most recent start, and Cian Collins has been operating at 1/5 over the past fortnight. At 9/4 versus 7/4 for the Mullins horse, the market is giving you a fighting chance to take the value on the second string. But Clay Pigeons has the superior form credentials, and the winning experience counts for plenty in a maiden.

Minella Hollow at 3/1 for the Nallen yard is worth watching in the context of Nallen’s good recent record at this course, and a fourth and third in recent starts shows consistency. But Clay Pigeons’ two wins make him hard to dismiss.

Verdict: Clay Pigeons at 7/4. Best price with Boyle Sports and Betfred. The winning form in a maiden field is the decisive factor.

Today’s NAP

Hashtag Pretender — J.F. Hanley Groundscare Beginners Steeplechase (19:00, Roscommon)
Odds: 11/8 — Boyle Sports (others: 11/8 Betfred, 5/4 LiveScore Bet)

Barry Connell wins at 46% from 13 runners at Roscommon with an A/E of 2.23. That number is extraordinary, and Hashtag Pretender is his sole runner on the card. The form before the fall shows real ability over this trip and going, and 11/8 in a small field of seven, with the best trainer stat at the venue by a country mile, represents genuine value. Take Boyle Sports or Betfred for the best return.