Jump Racing - Thursday 19th July

[Edberg]

4.55 Killarney ZERASHAN 4pts win @ 4/1 bog (Paddy Power) Feature race of the last day of the Killarney festival. The ground should be good to yielding and this is a very interesting handicap hurdle for 4yo+ rated 81-130. Saint Gervais is the top weight and with 11st12lb the John E. Kiely-trained 7yo will be carrying 5lb more than the second and 26lb more than the bottom weight so not an easy task at the weights, at least on paper, especially since there are a few horses which are surely able to beat their actual handicap. I hold this gelding in high regard first of all for his trainer who is one of the shrewdest in Ireland imho, second for his good pedigree (half brother to very useful Paul Nicholls-trained chaser Just Amazing (7 wins in 16 starts over fences and rated up to 145 last year) and for his progressive career that has led him first to two impressive wins in bumpers last year (9L winner at the Galway Festival at the end of July on good ground and easy bis at Listowel on soft ground in September) and showing plenty of talent in his last three races over hurdles he collected a second and two wins in a row. By the way the form of those races doesn't read too well at the moment and even if he won with apparently plenty in hand last time out he had looked far from being straightforward on his previous outings and I wouldn't bet a cent on him to win in a tight, hard fought finish as he seems the kind of horse able to win on the bit but not under a hard ride. So even if I like Saint Gervais I'll try to oppose him with one of the two main dangers which are Absolutlyfantastic and Zerashan. The Henry De Bromhead-trained 5yo showed plenty of talent on his last three starts finishing twice third and once first, all over fences but was a well beaten favourite last time out (11th of June, Novices' Chase at Roscommon). Absolutlyfantastic had won his first two starts, a bumper and a maiden over hurdle, last year and seemed a progressive horse but after his 6th to Darlan at the Aintree Grand National Festival (beaten 32L) and his recent good results over fences I can't see why they bring him back over hurdles at this stage even if his rating of 120 could seem a lenient one on what's gonna be his handicap debut. The one I really like is Zerashan. The 5yo gelding trained by Dessie Hughes and owned by the Gigginstown House Stud has got a very good pedigree (bred by the Aga Khan) and was a very good horse on the flat where he achieved 2 wins and 3 seconds in 12 starts winning an handicap over 1m4f at Leopardstown 14 months ago off a mark of 94 (rated up to 101 afterwards) and able to finish second (coming from last to second in the final stages of the race) behind Red Cadeaux in the Curragh Cup (Group 3) just one year ago when still trained by M. Halford for the Aga Khan. Bought by O'Leary for a 6-digit price Zerashan's career over hurdles started last December with a 7th in a maiden at Fairyhouse on testing ground (two places behind Simenon) and kept on improving on his following starts finishing 5th of 17 at Leopardstown over 2m4f on good ground at the end of the year (maiden won by subsequent Neptune 7th Make Your Mark) and 4th of 13 again at Leopardstown but on soft ground over 2m in January (beaten just 5L by Burn And Turn, second today at Killarney and beaten a neck in a Grade 2 at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival 3 months ago). He ran no race at Punchestown (2m, maiden, 22 Feb) on heavy ground on his next start but after a needed break he showed he can be a good hurdler winning in very good style at Downpatrick 5 days ago (2m2f, good ground). He never went on soft ground even on the flat so the drying conditions had been a big help for sure and after a first period of learning he seemed also way more confident on his jumping section. His win was pretty easy and his trainer soon stated how important had been the ground and how good his horse was handicapped because of his previous below-par performances on testing grounds. Dessie Hughes, trainer of Zerashan: "That's the first time he has got good ground since I've had him and he was entitled to win on his Flat form. Even if he gets a bit of a hike for winning this, he still looks well handicapped - he ran today from a mark of 106. If the ground dries up, he may go to Killarney and a handicap hurdle at Galway is also a possibility." And here we go the handicapper raised him up to 117 after his win but he races here just under a mandatory 6lb penalty and off a mark of 112 he seems very well handicapped even in quality field like this one and Zerashan is already entered in another handicap hurdle at Kilbeggan tomorrow and has got even an entry for the Guinness Galway Hurdle Handicap (Grade A), the richest race over hurdles of the summer and highlight of the upcoming Galway Festival, that will take place just in two weeks time (2nd of August). Dessie Hughes has had 2 winners and 3 seconds from his last 7 runners during the last 10 days and so the stable is in very good form at the moment. Davy Russell will be on his saddle and the brand new INH champion jockey has been in impressive form of late dominating this Killarney Festival with 4 winners from 4 rides. Ruby Walsh-ridden High Importance, who won a maiden in good style at Bellewstown 12 months ago, and Bay Of Kotor, who won his last three races, could be two more tough opponents but both come from a lengthy break (360 days and 206 days even if High Importance has run on the flat three weeks ago finishing 5th over a ground he didn't like) and have more something to prove against the aforementioned three market leaders.