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Previews14 October 2023

'He's a strong traveller so the race should suit' - key quotes and analysis for the competitive Birdcatcher

Donnacha O'Brien: trainer of Alder
Donnacha O'Brien: looks to have leading claims with Gloucester at NaasCredit: Patrick McCann

The draw has proved to be decisive in recent runnings of this premier nursery with a significant bias towards the inside. Indeed, it has been such a huge factor that you have to rewind all the way to Childhood in 2016 to find the last winner who came out of a stall higher than four.

With the winner in 2015 coming out of stall four, seven of the last eight winners have been drawn four or lower, so the advice is most certainly to look low.

Back Down Under, a six-race maiden rated 76, is drawn in stall one and while her most recent effort at Down Royal was a step in the right direction, she looks up against it.

Stall two is the topweight and top-rated Gloucester. He did everything right from the front when winning a nursery over this trip at Fairyhouse last time. The Ten Sovereigns colt, who is a half-brother to six winners including the classy Aussie operator Great House, has got a 9lb rise for his troubles, but he does have a touch of class and 5lb claimer Paddy Harnett gets on particularly well with him.

Stall three is Dramatic Entrance, who wears cheekpieces for the first time and has the services of 5lb claimer Jamie Powell, but she is running from 6lb out of the handicap, so it is a very big ask indeed.

According to recent trends, the only other one with a chance is Dramatic Entrance's stablemate and Navan conqueror Glamorously. She wore blinkers for the first time at Navan and opened her account at the seventh time of asking. That was off 68 and she had Keithen Kennedy's 10lb claim too, so life is going to be much tougher off 75 this time with Nathan Crosse taking over without a claim.

If there is one from outside the lowest four stalls who could play a big part, perhaps it is McTenett, a course-and-distance maiden winner who surely didn't show what he was made of last time at Cork against the classy King Cuan. Stall 12 is certainly not ideal, though.


What they say

Donnacha O'Brien, trainer of Gloucester
He's in good form and seems to handle slow ground quite well. Obviously he's got plenty of weight in a competitive handicap, but we're hoping he will still run well.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of McTenett and Gold Coast Galleon
McTenett is a course-and-distance winner so he handles the track and certainly deserves to take his chance. Dylan [Browne McMonagle] won on him that day and knows him well and rides him again. Gold Coast Galleon had a good run the last day at Down Royal. He likes to get cover in his races and is a strong traveller, so the race will hopefully suit him and it'll be great if he could get a share of the spoils.

Ado McGuinness, trainer of Perfect Judgement
He's in good form and has form at Naas. He has form on soft ground too. He's been knocking on the door and it would be lovely if that door opened in a race like this.


Read the rest of Saturday's previews:

1.25 Newmarket: €2m well spent? Ancient Wisdom out to enhance reputation and extend Godolphin dominance in Autumn Stakes

2.00 Newmarket: 'The ground is not going to be ideal for City Of Troy' - Aidan O'Brien on the hot favourite in the Dewhurst Stakes 

2.25 York: 'His form on soft ground puts him right up there' - analysis and key quotes for the Coral Sprint Trophy 

2.30: 'The Grand National is definitely the plan again' - road to Aintree begins for Eva's Oskar 

2.40 Newmarket: 'I think he fits the profile for it nicely' - can Cesarewitch favourite Pied Piper lead them home for confident Gordon Elliott? 

4.15: 'I'd be disappointed if he's very not competitive' - trainer quotes and analysis for Chepstow's Silver Trophy 


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