Can Mary Frances repeat her Punchestown performance? That's the big question

2.10 Thurles
BetVictor Hurdle | 2m6½f | 5yo+ | ITV4/RTV

This race revolves around Mary Frances and whether she can reproduce the form she showed when winning a 3m handicap hurdle at Punchestown last month.

She equalled her career-best Racing Post Rating on that occasion and is a course-and-distance winner, so the drop a furlong and a half in trip shouldn’t be an issue.

A reproduction of that effort would probably be good enough to follow up at these weights, but tactics will be important as she is at her best when able to dominate.

She has made all on her way to her last two victories and should have an easier time dominating this nine-runner field than she did when beating 15 rivals last time.

That’s on paper though, and it doesn’t always work out that way in practice.

All the jockeys will be aware of her need to dominate and it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them decided to throw a spanner in the works and take Mary Frances on for the lead.

Ferocious had no luck when attempting such tactics behind Tiger Tap Tap in a small-field at Clonmel in January but might find this an easier assignment, while Moyhenna made most of the running when winning back-to-back at Limerick and Punchestown in the spring last year.

Karl Der Grosse is the unknown quantity for dual Gold Cup winners Willie Mullins and Paul Townend. The Jukebox Jury gelding hasn’t been seen since he was pulled up at Thurles 408 days ago, but he did show promise in novice company in 2018.

This German-bred will certainly relish testing ground. His sire’s progeny have a 24 per cent strike-rate (6-25) on going described as soft or heavy by Raceform, for a £1 level-stake profit of 14.

While on the subject of pedigrees, you won’t see many better bred than Foreign Secretary, who is a son of Galileo out of English and Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Finsceal Beo. A 3m hurdle on testing ground at Thurles in March probably wasn’t what the breeders had in mind.

What the connections say

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Ferocious and Cartwright
Ferocious was disappointing last time but he had beaten the horse who won that Grade 3 in a maiden hurdle at Tramore earlier on in the season so that wasn't his true running. He's better than that. Cartwright has been out of sorts but he's a talented horse on his day and you saw what he can do in the Martin Pipe last year. He's just unpredictable.

Karl Der Grosse: returning for Willie Mullins after over a year offCredit: Caroline Norris

Paul Townend, rider of Karl Der Grosse
He is coming here off the back of a big lay-off. He disappointed on his last run as well. He won a maiden well at Tramore and then I pulled him up last year. If he can reproduce his best form he would have a little chance but Jetz and Mary Frances bring a lot more recent form into the race. If we can get a nice run, it will let us know where we are going for the future.

Robbie Power, rider of Jetz
It's his second run back over hurdles. I thought he ran quite well behind Charli Parcs at Leopardstown last time and I wouldn't rule out a big run from him here.

Martin Hassett, trainer of Mary Frances
She's in great form, but I would be a bit worried about the ground drying out. She was brilliant the last day. We would have loved to have gone to Cheltenham, but it looks like we made the right move to stay at home as the first two home in the Pertemps would have been hard to beat. She always gives 110 per cent and I expect nothing less here.

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