Thursday Raiders – UK trainers attack Tipperary card tonight

The Coolmore Stud Fairy Bridge Stakes is the feature race on the card at Tipperary Racecourse tonight at 5.55pm and the Group 3 contest looks a thrilling contest on paper. UK trainers have won this race the last two years running; Realtra at 4/1 for Roger Varian in 2017 and One Master at 9/2 for William Haggas in 2018. With this in mind, it has to be very interesting that three trainers from the UK venture over for a piece of the €65,000 pot, so let’s take a look at the three runners in more detail.

Dan’s Dream is a regular visitor to Irish shores and was runner-up to One Master in this very race last year. Since then, she was fourth in a similar contest at this track last October, was beaten a short head in a Group 3 at the Curragh in May of this year and was agonisingly beaten just a neck in another Group 3 at the same venue in June. She is certain to run another big race here.

It is quite interesting that the in-form Ralph Beckett stable send Blizzard over to take her chance in this contest. A winner of a Listed event at Fontainebleau in November 2018, she was down the field in a York handicap before going on to run a very eye-catching race in the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. She finished seventh but was only beaten two and three quarter lengths and further improvement is possible.

Last but not least, David O’Meara is taking a chance with outsider Hells Babe who won a Catterick handicap off a mark of 89 earlier this month. She won the race quite readily but it would still be quite the surprise if she could come close to winning this contest, taking on a favourite Skitter Skatter who is rated 114.

Moving on to the Listed Abergwaun Stakes at 6.55pm, Richard Hughes and Michael Dods have travelled over from the UK to try to take a piece of the valuable €45,000 pot that is on offer. We will take a look at their runners in more detail.

The Richard Hughes trained Gold Filigree has been very well supported this morning at larger odds which is interesting and if she is at her best she will have a squeak here. She ran a cracker in third from a high draw in a Naas Listed event in July before running a creditable race in fourth in a Chester Listed contest when last seen. The ground was a touch on the slow side for her that day and with good ground forecast tonight, she has to enter the equation.

Deia Glory is the Michael Dods runner in the race and he has acquired Wayne Lordan to ride the three-year-old filly. She hasn’t won a race since winning a Class 5 novice contest at Catterick in July 2018, and although she has run with credit at this level a couple of times, it is difficult to see her getting her head in front on this occasion.