The going might be testing but three trainers are worth following in four-year-old races

Testing conditions over the last two weekends have taken their toll on field sizes. Of the seven fixtures that have taken place across four days, Oldtown on Saturday was the only meeting to produce more than 50 runners.

The four-year-old maiden division, in particular, has felt the brunt of particularly heavy ground, with handlers understandably wary of introducing potentially valuable youngsters into competitive action.

While 12 runners took to the track for the Oldtown opener, there were just four runners at both Knockanard and Tinahely, with five at Nenagh.

One of the effects of such a notable difference in field sizes for those events was evident when comparing both races over two and a half miles at Oldtown and Knockanard.

Although ground conditions differed only slightly in descriptions – with soft to heavy at Oldtown and heavy at Knockanard – there was a 79-second difference in times clocked by the winners of the four-year-old races.

There are, of course, multiple factors that can influence race times between different courses, but that is as big a variation as is likely to be seen in four-year-old maidens run on the same weekend, highlighting just how steadily the field raced in the four-runner Knockanard contest.

Interestingly, the first three placings in both races were filled by the same three handlers, albeit in varying orders.

Derek O’Connor was responsible for the winners at both Oldtown and Knockanard, with Pat Doyle’s You Proof filling the runner-up position ahead of Ellen Doyle’s I Give Theorders, whereas 24 hours later, the minor placings between Pat and Ellen Doyle were reversed.

These three stables, in particular, have started the new campaign of four-year-olds with their strings in exceptionally good form.

Last weekend’s double for O’Connor was his third win in the age group this month, with both Ellen and Pat Doyle also sending out winning four-year-olds in recent weeks.

Pat Doyle’s Suirview stables have run five four-year-olds, all of whom have finished in the first three, while the Baltimore stables operation of Ellen Doyle and her brother James have run three four-year-olds for a return of one winner and two places.

With conditions unlikely to ease significantly this weekend, they could again prove to be the stables to follow in the age division.

Weekend fixtures

Saturday
Farmacaffley, first race 13.00
Punchestown, first race 13.00

Sunday
Kildorrery, first race 13.00
Lisronagh, first race 14.00

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