Dinons bids to follow in footsteps of mighty Samcro in Monksfield Hurdle

1.00 Navan
Monksfield Novice Hurdle (Grade 3) | 2m4f | 4yo+ | ATR

This was the scene for a 12-length Samcro stroll last year, while Death Duty demolished his five rivals in 2016 so is it safe to say that Gordon Elliott uses this race as a stepping stone for his best novices.

Elliott is responsible for a third of the field and no horse arrives in better form than Dinons who has won his last five starts on the trot and that would be six had he not fallen at the last at Bellewstown in July when in full command.

Felix Desjy was all the rage to win the For Auction Novice Hurdle at Navan a fortnight ago but jumped poorly and trailed in last of the seven runners. He is up in trip now as Elliott tries something new and Rachael Blackmore takes over in the saddle. Recent Wexford maiden hurdle winner Sometime Soon completes Elliott's three-pronged attack on the race.

Magnium finished closest to Aramon in the aforementioned For Auction Novice Hurdle, with the Joseph O'Brien-trained Choungaya a length behind him in third. Those two renew rivalry again.

Elliott or Meade?

Local trainers Gordon Elliott and Noel Meade have dominated this Grade 3 in the last decade. Elliott has won four of the last seven runnings of the race, while Meade has won it four times since 2008.

Luckless Mullins

Willie Mullins has never won the Monksfield Novice Hurdle. Good Thyne Tara was fifth to Samcro last year and Livelovelaugh was fourth behind Death Duty in 2016. The champion trainer had no runner in the race in 2014 or 2015.

What they say

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Dinons, Felix Desjy and Sometime Soon
Dinons has been a little diamond for us over the past few months and he is turning into a really nice novice. He just keeps improving every time he comes to the track and hopefully that improvement will continue here. Felix Desjy really disappointed us on his last visit to Navan and he will have to improve an awful lot on that to be competitive. Sometime Soon is a nice horse who won at Wexford and is going the right way.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Choungaya
He's a nice, young horse who stepped up on what he had shown previously to finish third in the For Auction over two miles on his last visit to Navan. I think the step up in trip will definitely suit him so I'm hopeful of a nice run.

Noel Meade, trainer of First Approach
We were going to run Brace Yourself but with the ground the way it is we thought that this fella would be better suited to the race. He's in good form and should go well.

Jessica Harrington, trainer of Magnium
I was delighted with his first run for us here last time when he was a little keen but stayed on well so the step up to 2m4f will suit. This is always a good race and Gordon Elliott has a strong hand with Dinons, who won at Cheltenham the last day, but our horse is in good form and seems to be improving.

Willie Mullins, trainer of Easy Game
It looks a good renewal with Dinons looking the one we will all have to beat. Our horse started off well over hurdles, winning his first two race before being beaten at Listowel and Tipperary. He will like the trip and the ground but it looks a tough enough task.

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