Grade Three Limestone Lad Hurdle Guide 2023

Trainer won this race last year with Darasso and will be looking to make another success of this contest here as he beat the Gordon Elliot trained Saint Felicien by 3 1/4 lengths last term.

This 10-year-old certainly cannot be ruled out, but he is carrying a top weight of 11-12 and faces a couple of younger horses in this year's renewal of the Grade 3 Limestone Lad Hurdle.

He has placed in a few of his last runs where he ran in bigger fields than this but did bounce back to form when winning last time out at Thurles in a Class 1 Listed event.

Got the better of Escaria Ten by 2 lengths and if carrying on that sort of form it should see him go close once more in this.

Trainer Willie Mullins runs two in this with Cash Back being his less 'fancied' runner compared to stablemate Echoes In Rain.

His best form came a few years ago so his best days may well be behind him now he is 11 years of age. Has won once at this course before, but that was back in 2020 so he will have to recreate that form once more here if he wants to go close.

Likely to struggle against a younger crop of horses in this six-runner field and one that is hard to fancy.

Best to look at Mullins' other runner Echoes In Rain.

Trainer Willie Mullins' second runner in this and the 7-year-old mare Echoes In Rain looks set to give him his best chance of taking this contest.

She put in some very pleasing performances last year as she placed in Grade 1 company finishing second behind at the time a still-unbeaten Honeysuckle and also finished 4 lengths in front of a rival she faces again in Darasso.

After failing to win next time out, she was victorious in a 20-runner handicap at Galway over 2 miles and since then has had two short breaks before racing a further two times.

Paul Townend gets the ride and will hope to steer her around after she fell last time out. Big player if that fall has not had too much of an effect on her.

Bob Olinger could well go off as favourite for what would be the fourth time in a row when looking back at his three previous efforts.

He was a Grade 1 winner at last year's Cheltenham Festival as he won the Turners Novices' Chase in dramatic fashion. This year's Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs was quite frankly beating him with ease until he slipped and fell at the last.

Since then he has really struggled since reverting back to hurdles and was well beaten at Navan in the Grade 2 Lismullen and the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Steps back down in trip here and is somewhat of a risky favourite, but it would not be a surprise to see him back in the winners enclosure sooner rather than later.

Meet And Greet rates a very interesting runner as he has put up some excellent efforts in his past few outings. He finished just 2 1/2 lengths behind Flame Bearer in a Grade 2 over course and distance last February and that winner went on to win again next time out.

After a small break of 59 days, he then proceeded to finish third at odds of 33/1 in a Grade 1 at Punchestown behind the likes of Minella Cocooner and The Nice Guy (two talents from the Willie Mullins camp).

He next sprung a surprise in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Punchestown running a huge race at 50/1 to finish just a half-length behind Ashdale Bob in third.

Can be inconsistent so not exactly sure what to expect, but he is in calmer waters here so could go very close at a price that represents more value than a few at the top end of the market.

This will be Derry Lad's first start over hurdles after being seen on the flat 14 times so far in his career and it looks set to be a ridiculously tough ask for him to show any promise here.

He is only 5 years of age so may have the potential for a hurdling career, but to be pitched straight into Grade 3 company for the first time especially as he has never seen an obstacle on a racecourse before, he can be completely dismissed.