Previews

Clonmel on a crisp Thursday. Sure where would you rather be? It was a decent day for Ruby Walsh, who helped himself to a double at the Co Tipperary track today.

Ruby landed the first two races aboard highly-regarded juvenile hurdler Edeymi for Tony Martin and Bishopsfurze for his boss Willie Mullins.

The starting prices mightn’t have been hugely rewarding (the pair were 2/7 and 4/9 favourites respectively) but both Martin and Mullins have something to look forward to – Edeymi is slated to contest the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham next month, while Bishopsfurze, a Listed winner over hurdles, has now won both of his completed starts over fences.

If the day got off well for favourite backers – long odds-on favourite backers, that is – then it was all downhill from there, with no favourite making the frame in the remaining five races.

Those beaten market-leaders included Are Ya Right Chief, which was sent off the 8/15 favourite to give Mullins a double and Walsh a treble in the Demense Maiden Hurdle at 3.40 but trailed in a well-beaten fourth and was found to be clinically abnormal following a veterinary inspection.

Stephanie Kate, for the Charlie Swan-David Casey team, landed the Munster Hurdle while there were also wins for Sumkindasuprstar (7/1), Betterthanalright, Mr Eko (both 14/1) and Red Memo in the Bumper, which was returned at an SP of 25/1.

With all those long-priced winners and favourites out of the frame in all but the first two races, Tote Placepot punters were nicely rewarded with a sequential-countdown dividend of €543.20.