Irish trainer sends horse on 800-mile round trip to Ascot on Saturday

Kildare-based trainer Conor O’Dwyer wouldn’t be known for sending horses across the water, and it has to be hugely interesting that the handler will send one horse on the 800-mile round trip to Ascot Racecourse on Saturday from his base in Friarstown. Let’s take a look at the horse in more detail below, but you can also find all of our free horse racing tips on the website too.

1.50 Ascot

Trainer Conor O’Dwyer wouldn’t have an abundance of runners at his disposal and will send his first ever runner to Ascot at the weekend. That horse will run in the Howden Handicap Chase (1.50) and the runner in question is EL BARRA, who will have the burden of top weight, but probably for a good reason.

Formerly trained by Willie Mullins, El Barra is having only his second start for O’Dwyer in this race, and on the off chance that he can recapture the very best of his form, then his inflated British mark of 148 could be workable with Charlie O’Dwyer taking off a further 5lb in the saddle.

A winner six times for Mullins, the 9yo finished third in a Galway Plate off a mark of 150 last year and he won a Grade 3 chase at Cork in November 2022. Pulled up in a Galway handicap hurdle on stable debut, he obviously has to show a lot more but O’Dwyer won’t be sending him to Ascot just to make up the numbers.

It has been a quiet time for the stable with just the one winner this season over jumps from 43 runners, but this horse could go well at a price.

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