Despite heavier resistance from the home team this time round, a cleansweep for the Irish on day four of the Cheltenham Festival meant that the 2022 Prestbury Cup was again Ireland’s. It’s not just the biggest meeting of the year at which the Irish trainers come over to raid our prize money. Owner-trainer Liam O’Brien brings two horses on the almost 200-mile journey from County Tipperary to Ffos Las on Wednesday and he won’t want to go home empty-handed.
We’llgowats hasn’t shown a great deal in three starts over hurdles if truth be told. The form of her hurdles debut doesn’t look too bad however with several subsequent winners coming out of that race at Killarney. On her second start she was behind the useful Fairyhill Run albeit by 26 lengths. This might not be the strongest of novice hurdles though so there is hope that with a mares allowance she can put in an improved performance here. She’s lightly raced over hurdles and learning on the job so finding some improvement isn’t out of the question.
O’Brien’s second runner Smash The Lamp is easier to make a case for having scored this season in a Punchestown handicap hurdle over three miles. Ground conditions look set to be similar here which is likely to suit. The handicapper can struggle to convert Irish ratings so it’ll be interesting to see if this mare has a few pounds in hand having been allotted a rating of 103. She finished fifth last time out and the form looks decent enough in the context of this race here.
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