Clonmel 5:17 Result

Big 19-runner handicap hurdle where the top-weights look exposed. Calzaghi (100) and Paul Collins (100) carry big weights off modest recent form, while Private Policy returns from a long layoff. Ballyhahill is a lightly-raced 4yo filly from the powerful Gordon Elliott yard carrying top-class connections, and crucially she is still relatively unexposed over hurdles with only a handful of starts (47-05). Elliott's younger stock often improve with each run and this yard has a strong strike rate at this level. She races off a fair mark of 97 which looks workable given her scope for improvement, and fillies of this type can progress sharply once they settle into a longer trip like this 2m7f test. The booking of a good conditional (Kevin Healy) suggests confidence from the yard. Rivals like Sharetheknowledge, Maxicourt and Poetic Focus are more exposed and have been racing without franking their current marks, while the likes of Technology and Lummi Island carry question marks over fitness/longevity. Ballyhahill's class edge from a top yard, untapped potential, and workable weight make her the most interesting improver in a wide-open contest. I'm backing stable intent and residual improvement over the exposed, heavily-raced handicappers around her.