This afternoon’s Dundalk meeting, constructed to deal with the overflow of declarations from last Friday night’s offering, has some intriguing betting proposition dotted across it.
Silk Cravat might be the best among them and goes for the inimitable pairing of Ger Lyons and Colin Keane in the 15:35 - Crowne Plaza Race & Stay Handicap.
The four-year-old gelding has benefited from the blanket six-pound drop in weights that is enforced at the end of the flat turf season across the water, and it’s left him a couple of pounds well in against this lot.
A winner on the beach at Laytown in September, he put up two respectable placed efforts over 7f here the last twice, being a beaten favourite on each occasion. Those placed efforts were off marks of 71 and 73, but his drop in the weights lets him slip into this 45-70 contest off a mark of just 67.
That leaves this son of Kyllachy looking like a very well-handicapped horse. Although his performances over 7f didn’t suggest he was screaming out for a drop back in trip, he’s got the champion jockey on his back and a plum draw in one, and if Keane can get his mount in a nice position out of the gates, he should win.
