Trumps Ace out to land another big pot for Doyle

3.40 Thurles
Duggan Veterinary Handicap Chase | 2m4f91yds | 5yo+ | ITV4/RTV

Trumps Ace bids to complete a hat-trick following wins at Clonmel on her last two outings and she took the scalp of a couple of her rivals on her way to those victories.

However, she is now 16lb higher than when beating Kavanaghs Corner for the first of those wins and will race from 9lb higher than when seeing off Bridge Native by seven and a half lengths in January.

The improving mare returns from 72 days off needing a career best to confirm the places with her reopposing rivals on revised terms. There look better-handicapped runners in opposition.

The race which could prove the key came at this course 16 days ago when Kavanaghs Corner beat Crazyheart by two and three-quarter lengths with Western Sea third and At Your Ease fourth. Another of these runners, Persian Wind, was also bang there when falling two out.

Crazyheart has a 6lb pull with the winner and has every chance of reversing those places.

Pound A Stroke looked a transformed character when fitted with blinkers for the first time at Clonmel this month. He made all to win cosily from Young Dev and, while the runner-up might have given him more to think about but for jumping violently left at the last two fences, Pound A Stroke was well on top at the line and the front two pulled clear of the rest.

The blinkers are back on again, but Pound A Stroke will find it much harder to dominate these 15 rivals, especially with confirmed front-runners Wishmoor and Western Sea lining up.

Wishmoor, in particular, will be trying to string them out from an early stage as he has stayed on well from the front over a stiff 3m at Navan on his last two starts – when he traded at lows of 1.33 and 1.48 in running – and he needs to put the emphasis on stamina over 2m4½f.

He finds plenty for pressure and will prove tough to pass if he has the speed to stay in contention.

What the trainers say

Johnny Levins, trainer of Wishmoor
He was supposed to go to Newbury for the veterans' final, so this is plan B. The drop in grade will help, but the drop in trip won't. The fact of the matter is that we just have to get him out while we're still racing.

John Joe Walsh, trainer of Sonny B
He's 13 now so he's getting on a bit, but he ran well at Limerick over Christmas and seems to be in good form. It won't be easy, but we're hoping he'll run well.

Martin Hasset, trainer of Une Lavandiere
She's in really good form. I only have her three weeks but, since we've got her, she's done everything right and I think there could be a little bit of improvement in her.

Tim Doyle, trainer of Trumps Ace
She's in good order. She's fresh and well. The one worry I have is the trip. She's been running over two miles and this will stretch her. Maybe the ground drying out will help her stay, but it'll be tacky. We've tried to keep her away from bad ground all season.

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