Stat of the Day, 21st March 2015

Stat of the Day

Stat of the Day, 21st March 2015

A close up third from Desert Joe on Friday was Chris’ parting shot as he heads for a couple of week rest and recuperation, leaving me (Matt) in the hot seat until 6th April.

And it’s a slightly left field first port of call for me, as we head across the Irish Sea for a tilt at a no name trainer who can get the job done in the…

3.30 Gowran Park:

Mary Louise Hallahan is the lady’s name, and I must confess that she’s a new name on me. But when I was interrogating various statistic overviews of Saturday’s racing, her name kept appearing either at, or towards, the top of the lists. Specifically:

Trainer Course Form since 2009: Miss Hallahan has run 17 horses at Gowran Park, with six of them winning and another three placing. The winners were worth 34.5 points profit, as you might expect from a thoroughly under the radar handler; and each way backers would have been happy to the tune of 42.53 points (albeit from double stakes), and a 53% pickup rate.

Trainer Jockey Combo Course Form since 2009: Miss Hallahan’s go to guy is one of the shrewdest in the business, Davy Russell. Not only is this a man who rode five Cheltenham Festival winners in a row (!), but he’s also a very safe pair of hands when the money is down. When teaming up, Hallahan and Russell have won four of the six races they’ve entered, and placed on another occasion. That was worth 21 points win profit, and 26.65 points betting each way (again, from double stakes).

They team up here in a handicap hurdle with Malt Gem, a winner over the track and trip last time out. That, however, was a handicap chase, off a mark of 118; and here is running off 116 in this different discipline. If he’s as good over hurdles as he is over fences, then he’s obviously chucked in as a winner without a penalty.

Malt Gem has form figures at Gowran of 2F1 (the fall was behind RSA Chase winner, Don Poli!), and at 2m4f, the trip this time, of 32F1 (ditto the fall). The ground might be lively enough, but with so many positives, I’m happy to chance that one reservation.

Davy is in sensational form (8/27 in the past fortnight, for a profit of 43 units; place strike rate of 56%) and he rides this track better than anyone. Malt Gem should be well placed behind what looks like being a fair early gallop, and his stalking style should be ideally suited to the test.

16 runners are scheduled to go to post, but it would be some sort of minor miracle were they all to line up. That means the suggested each way bet at 12/1 (Coral) will probably require a podium finish. Do shop around, though by…

…clicking here for the latest betting on the 3.30 Gowran Park

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REMINDER: THERE IS NO STAT OF THE DAY ON SUNDAYS

Here is today’s racecard.