Nolan’s Charge Could Go Well At Thurles

Mala Beach took the Troytown in impressive fashion on Sunday, jumping boldly and cruising clear up the Navan hill. He is evidently a lot better than a handicapper and it will be interesting to see where he ends up in the Spring. My selection, He Rock’s, ran well for a very long way but the searching pace he helped set was too much for him on the testing ground and he faded in the home straight. He ended up finishing 8th, far from disgraced, and he can pick up a handicap or two this Winter at a lower level.

 

Mala Beach impressed at Navan.

Tomorrow I am taking a chance on one at a tasty price at Thurles and I think Urbanist looks an interesting runner for Shane Nolan and Robbie Colgan. Those two teamed up to win with Caolaneoin twice last season and they could be set to strike again in the 2 mile handicap hurdle at 14.55. This very nicely bred son of Black Sam Bellamy showed very little on his first few starts, including on handicap debut, but he showed a lot more last time and ran better than finishing position and distance beaten suggests.

Urbanist was settled at the rear of mid division last time at Fairyhouse (16f sft) and he was lobbing along nicely having jumped the first two hurdles well. However, he was hampered by a faller at the third hurdle and he lost 5 or 6 lengths. He found himself near the back of the race, but Patrick Corbett didn’t look to worried and he didn’t try to push him back up through the field. He raced near the rear of the field for the next 6f or so, and half a mile out he started to make ground.

Corbett switched him wide 4f out and as he started to shove along Urbanist seemed to be coming into the race nicely. It wasn’t the most vigorous of efforts by his jockey though and he also managed to run into trouble as they started turning for home. Urbanist lost a bit of momentum with a slowish jump at what was usually the 2nd last but this time was the last (the final hurdle was omitted), but once the leaders had flown Corbett pushed him along more firmly and he stayed on well in the closing stages for 6th.

That promising effort came off a mark of 83 and Urbanist has been dropped 2lb to 81 after that run. Pedigree suggests this trip will be fine for the 5yo, as his dam’s half brother Commanche Court was a classy 2 mile performer as a young horse, winning a Triumph Hurdle before going on to win an Irish Grand National. She is also a half sister to a 1 mile Listed flat winner as well as winning a 10f flat race and 2 mile hurdle herself.

The ground is currently described as soft at Thurles and that surface should pose no problems for Urbanist. Robbie Colgan has ridden a couple of winners from 27 rides for Shane Nolan and he is a jockey with no shortage of experience taking over from a 3lb claimer. If Urbanist can avoid accidents and gets a kinder trip through the race than last time, I think he is capable of producing a big run and at odds of 20/1 he is worth chancing each way in a trappy looking race.

STEVOS’ SELECTION: 14.55 THURLES-URBANIST E/W @ 20/1