Ruby Walsh: I’m hoping Douvan wins but Monalee be hard to beat at Clonmel

Ruby takes a trip to Tipperary.

A six-runner 2m mares maiden hurdle opens the card at Clonmel at 12.40 where Willie Mullins runs Equilibrium and Kalanisi Og. Patrick Mullins has picked the odds-on Kalanisi Og as his best chance of getting the winner and you should too.

In the 2m 3f Maiden Hurdle that follows at 13.10, our K’chou Du Pechos Aa and Vis Ta Loi face 11 rivals. K’chou Du Pechos was last seen when fourth in a Leopardstown bumper at Christmas while Vis Ta Loi makes his debut over timber. Both should jump and stay in a race where Email Rose could build on his seasonal bow at Tramore last month, but Gordon Elliott’s Braeside has the experience and the bumper form in the book from last season.

We’ve no representative in the 2m 3f handicap hurdle at 13.40 but Willie runs Suinda in the 3m hurdle at 14.15 where Joseph O’Brien’s High Sparrow was a winner at this venue last month and Gordon Elliott saddles Elwood. I’m siding with Envoi Pierji though for Liz Doyle and jockey Mark Walsh, who is having an unbelievable run at the minute.

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The feature race on the card is the Clonmel Oil Chase over 2m 4f at 14.50.

Just the five runners go to post and whoever thought Douvan would be getting weight off these? He’s been off the track for 570 days and all we can really expect is for him to be in contention at the second last and see what happens from there.

I’ve always been a fan of Henry de Bromhead’s Monalee and still am. The soft ground and the trip will suit and he looks the one Douvan and the others have to beat.

Clonmel-Racecourse

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There’s a small-but-select field for the mares chase at 15.20 where Willie runs Listen Dear who looked good the last day at Limerick, but this is a much stiffer contest.

Gordon Elliott runs Tintangle and the former JLT Novices Chase winner Shattered Love and it’s the latter who can get her career back on track in this 2m 4f contest.

The last race on the card is the 2m bumper at 15.55. Tactical Move was second in a point-to-point and ran Ard Abhainn close at Punchestown last May.

Patrick Mullins can top and tail the card with victory here.

*Prices and runners correct at time of publication

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