'He seems to have turned the corner' - Elliott sends five for hot hurdle

Monday: 3.35 Listowel
Liam Healy Memorial Lartigue Hurdle | 2m | 4yo | TG4/RTV

Topweights have a decent enough record in this race as Orgilgo Bay defied it to win in 2014, while Dark Voyager was runner-up to Autumn Evening last year when carrying 11st 10lb.

Brazil, who was the topweight for Monday's race at Listowel, was declared a non-runner on Monday morning, leaving two Gordon Elliott-trained runners in Iberique du Seuil and Britzka at the head of the weights.

The last four winners of this valuable handicap for four-year-olds went off at 14-1, 25-1, 14-1 and 11-1, which is not overly surprising given there are always plenty of unexposed second-season juvenile hurdlers in action.

Elliott, who won this in 2013 with Bayan, is responsible for five of the 16 runners this time around and Davy Russell's presence on Britzka would suggest he is the number one hope from the stable.

Having shown significant promise initially over hurdles, Britzka lost his way in the spring but has come right back to form recently with two wins at Perth, the first courtesy of an inspired Sean Bowen ride.

Prairie Dancer certainly brings the best piece of recent form to the party. For a four-year-old to run as well as he did in the Galway Hurdle, finishing a close-up third to Tudor City having made much of the running, takes some doing and he must have major claims here off just 2lb higher.

All three of Noel Meade's representatives are interesting. Sheishybrid has won three of her last four starts between hurdles and the Flat, and Rachael Blackmore is a rare booking for the stable, while Lunar Power catches the eye too coming in here on the back of a Flat win at Clonmel.

He has the look of a well handicapped horse if securing a prominent early pitch under Bryan Cooper.

What they say

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Britzka, Iberique Du Seuil, Doctor Churchill, Ebasari and Douglas Dc
We always thought Britzka was a nice horse and it was great to see him bounce back to form at Perth, where Sean Bowen gave him two brilliant rides. He seems to have turned the corner now. Ebasari would have gone very close to winning a hot enough handicap at Galway but for making a mess of the last. You'd like to think he's got a solid chance on the back of that run. Iberique Du Seuil is having his first run since winning the Grade 2 at Fairyhouse over Easter and is a talented young horse. Douglas Dc is a consistent sort who never seems to run a bad race, while Doctor Churchill will need to improve on what he showed at Ballinrobe last time.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Prairie Dancer
He ran well in the Galway Hurdle and this race has been the plan since then. He's been training well. We're hoping for a good run from him.

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