Diva Can Deliver At Gowran

With Chester taking centre stage tomorrow it would have been easy to overlook the other meetings, but there is a filly going at Gowran that I just cannot leave unbacked. Downtown Diva has yet to get her head in front after 14 career starts, but from a good draw and over her optimum trip with a quality claimer booked, I think she has every chance of ending the drought today.
 

Gearoid Brouder's claim could make the difference for Downtown Diva.

This 3yo daughter of Approve may not have won a race yet, but she has plenty of creditable efforts to her name and she has displayed more than enough ability to suggest she is capable winning a race. Her best runs in 2018 have come on artificial surfaces, and she went very close when finishing 2nd at Dundalk from a wide draw under Dusty Foley on her penultimate start in early March over 7f off a mark of 55.

She ran a nice race last time too at Dundalk a fortnight after that 2nd when a keeping on 4th dropped to 6f off 56, beaten just over 3L, and to be honest she has run well on 7 of her last 8 starts on the all-weather, beaten more than 3.75L just once and finishing out of the first five just twice. However, the return to turf isn’t really a negative as she has run some decent races on grass too.

Her run in a 6f soft ground nursery at Fairyhouse when beaten just 4L in 4th by Solar Wave off a mark of 64 was an excellent effort and she had future winners in behind. Jack Davison’s filly is in off just 56 at Gowran, and with Gearoid Brouder’s claim (will likely only be 5lb as he is reportedly due to put up 2lb overweight) Downtown Diva is 13lb better off on her first run on soft ground since.

There are no worries for me regarding the jockey booking either, as Brouder has a fine record, winning on 6 of his 37 rides in Ireland and finishing in the first four on a further 14 occasions. Downtown Diva has the plum draw in stall 1 and at a tight track like Gowran that is a huge plus. If she doesn’t fluff the start and gets luck in running I can see her going very close and at odds of 22/1 she is worth backing each way.

STEVOS’ SELECTION: 6.05 GOWRAN-DOWNTOWN DIVA E/W @ 22/1