Mick Mulvany expecting further improvement from experienced juvenile in trappy conditions race

Lia Fail is one of three last-time-out winners in the feature conditions race (2.15) at Navan and Mick Mulvany is confident the best is yet to come from his filly.

The trappy 5½2f contest for two-year-olds has attracted a field of five, with Gloucester and Megarry joining Lia Fail in the pursuit of back-to-back wins.

The €30,000 race is difficult to weigh up and Lia Fail benefits from plenty of experience compared to her rivals, having had six starts. She landed a Down Royal maiden on good ground in June and added to her tally at Sligo on her latest start, kicking stylishly clear of the field on a softer surface.

Mulvany, who calls upon the services of Wesley Joyce in the saddle, said: "Lia Fail is an improving filly and I would be hoping she can go close. She won nicely at Sligo the last day and is taking a step up in class here, but she's improving all the time so hopefully she can handle it.

"She's very versatile, so I don't think the ground makes much difference to her."

The Gavin Cromwell-trained Megarry got off the mark nicely at the Curragh 13 days ago and he holds strong claims after the drop to six furlongs seemed to play to his strengths, while the Donnacha O'Brien-trained Gloucester has progressed nicely in his three starts and picked up to win a shade cosily at Cork last time.

Elsewhere on the card, the Jessica Harrington-trained Ciao For Now will likely prove popular with punters in the opening maiden (1.40) over the same distance. The two-year-old was unlucky when finishing second on her debut, given she had to wait for a gap at a crucial stage before running on well. It will be interesting to see if she can confirm the promise of that run as she drops back in trip.

Silmaniya could prove a tough nut to crack in the Rathkenny Handicap (3.25) over five furlongs for Johnny Murtagh in first-time blinkers after she put in an encouraging effort when runner-up over the same trip at the Curragh last time out. She was quite keen in a visor early on but battled well in the closing stages to be denied by only three quarters of a length and the fourth has come out and won nicely since.

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