'He should be in the mix' - jumps star Monkfish makes his return from long injury layoff

Monkfish is a fascinating contender on his return after nearly two years off the track for Willie Mullins in the Grade 2 Rathbarry & Glenview Studs Hurdle. 

The nine-year-old was last seen finishing second to Colreevy at the Punchestown festival in 2021 and he displayed great promise as a novice chaser, winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham the same year.

Such a long absence from the track might suggest he is best watched from a betting perspective, but it will be intriguing to see how much of his talent he retains.

His stablemate Asterion Forlonge drops in trip having finished second to Summerville Boy at Thurles last time when reverting to hurdles after a 12-month break. 

He tended to lose focus over fences but jumped fluently on his latest start over hurdles and has a big shout if he makes the anticipated improvement from Thurles. The drop in trip will not inconvenience him either.

The Gordon Elliott-trained Fil Dor was unable to land a blow in the Coral Cup, but has a shout here based on his win in the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran Park, especially considering the second that day, Sharjah, went on to run a fine race in the County Hurdle when fourth off a mark of 155. 

Beacon Edge could be a smart each-way play in the race. He never got into contention in the Coral Cup, but you would expect a better showing in this smaller field and with the slight drop in trip likely to suit. His third-placed finish in the Boyne Hurdle is a smart piece of form and he has solid claims.

Paddy Corkery reverts to hurdles with Master McShee on only his second start of the season, while HMS Seahorse will seek to get back on track after finding life tough at Cheltenham too.

What they say

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Fil Dor
It didn't happen for him in the Coral Cup, but he was very good at Gowran before that in the Red Mills Hurdle. This looks the right sort of race for him. The ground, the track and the trip should all suit. He should be in the mix.

Noel Meade, trainer of Beacon Edge
He missed the break at Cheltenham and once that happened, it was all over for him. The smaller field will suit him. He’s in good form at home and he has a chance if he’s on a going day.

Paul Nolan, trainer of HMS Seahorse
He’s a small horse so I think the hustle and bustle of a big field at Cheltenham didn’t suit him – he got bullied out of it a little bit. That was a very disappointing run as we could see our fate from a long way out. Ratings-wise he is up against it here, but we’re hoping he will run better in a smaller field. He’s been in good form since Cheltenham and I’m hoping he will run respectably.

Paul Townend, rider of Asterion Forlonge
He ran well at Thurles over three miles the last day. The drop back in trip here isn’t ideal for him but he is a good strong, travelling horse. Going right-handed suits him. The benefit of that run swayed me towards him over Monkfish who was off the track a good while. Obviously Monkfish is a very good horse and we will see how much ability he has retained. Master McShee has to be taken seriously here as well. It is a very competitive race and you can make a case for all six runners. However, I think my horse will come on plenty for his run at Thurles.

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