14.05 Fairyhouse – Black Tears (40/1 Mares Novices’ Hurdle) 4/5 today

A hard horse to win with, Black Tears has been the bridesmaid on five of her six starts, shedding her maiden tag at Cork last March. Market expectations suggest that she can repeat the trick again today, and could well be aimed for the Mares Novices’ Hurdle should she oblige today, to further bolster Gordon Elliot’s embarrassment of riches ahead of the Festival.

14.35 Fairyhouse – Missy Tata (33/1 Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase) 11/10 today

Unquestionably the most interesting runner today is Gordon Elliot’s Missy Tata, who was last seen racing back in December 2016. A smart juvenile hurdler, winning six of her eight starts for Elliot and 4th in the 2016 Fred Winter, it is impossible to call which race she may be angled for should make a winning return today. As short as 12/1 for the Mares Hurdle, today’s task over bigger obstacles suggests that a tilt at the Ultima could be on the cards.

14.40 Plumpton – Good Man Pat (40/1 JLT Novices’ Chase) Evs today

Having made a promising chasing debut last month at this course, Good Man Pat has a chance to stake his claim as a live JLT hope today in this trappy three-runner affair. Having run behind two very smart sorts in Master Dino and Knocknanuss, it’s no surprise to see Alan King’s gelding proving popular in the market this morning.