2:47 Downpatrick
This 2m1f165y WillWeGo.com Handicap Hurdle at Downpatrick on good ground brings together a field of 12 where the KTB Fit scores are tightly bunched between 53 and 37. The top five are separated by just two points on the ratings, underlining a competitive contest in which race fitness, trip suitability and course knowledge will carry extra weight. With no obvious leader declared, the pace shape points to a steadily-run, tactical affair in which being handy could prove decisive.
How the race shapes up
The race lacks a clear leader, so it is expected to be a steadily-run, tactical event where prominent or midfield positioning will pay. Almost every runner is described as held up and producing its effort late, raising the possibility of a bunching effect in the straight. The key question is whether the principals can quicken off a modest gallop or if one of the more patient types will time their run best from off the pace.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Youknowthecode KTB Selection53/100
Youknowthecode is a useful performer on the balance of his ratings and race history. He steps up in trip today to a distance he has not tried before which asks a fresh question. Gordon Elliott’s yard has an 18% strike rate at Downpatrick from a huge sample while Danny Gilligan’s 12% from 49 rides is respectable. Usually held up and producing his effort late, he will need the steadily-run race to unfold in his favour. His recent form figures read 860-0 and he remains unproven on good ground with no previous course form on record.
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2Pahlavi52/100
Pahlavi is a useful performer with a solid course record here having won one of two starts. He has won at today’s trip but steps back up in distance having last run over 2m, while his record on good ground shows just one win from 18 starts. John Joseph Hanlon’s modest 6% strike rate at Downpatrick is well established over a large sample, while Harry Sexton remains winless from 29 rides at the track. Usually held up and producing his effort late, the nine-year-old arrives with recent form figures of 0655P5.
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3South Of Killerig51/100
South Of Killerig is a useful performer who has been largely out of form this year with a string of poor efforts. He drops back in trip today to a distance he has never tried and his record on good ground is modest from just two runs. E Sheehy has an 8% strike rate at Downpatrick while Donagh Meyler fares better with a 16% record from 79 rides. Usually held up and producing his effort late, his recent form reads 50P-P6.
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4Ripsnorter51/100
Ripsnorter is a useful performer on the balance of his ratings and race history but arrives in modest recent form having finished no better than seventh on his last three starts. W J Lanigan’s yard has a 4% strike rate from 28 runs at Downpatrick while Danny Mullins is operating at 8% from 204 rides here. He steps up in trip today with only one previous try at this distance that brought no success and the small overall sample makes going suitability hard to pin down. Usually held up, his recent form figures read 10-768.
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5He Who Dares51/100
He Who Dares is a fair performer who showed improved form when winning at the fourth attempt this season. He steps up in trip today having been well held on his one previous try at this distance while his record on good ground reads just one win from eleven starts. S Curling holds a solid 17% strike rate here from 24 runs while Phillip Enright is operating at a 9% strike rate from 117 rides at the track. Usually held up and producing his effort late, his recent form reads /0-001.
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6Le Diablo51/100
Le Diablo is a useful performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip without managing to win. He has been competitive on good ground but John Patrick Ryan’s modest record here tempers expectations while J J Slevin has a solid strike rate at the track. Usually held up, his recent form reads 052307.
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7Echinacea48/100
Echinacea is a useful performer who has shown some ability on this track without ever threatening to win. He has been below form on his last two starts and is unplaced in five runs on good ground. Noel C Kelly and Simon Torrens both have modest records here and the step up in trip is an unknown. Usually held up, his recent form reads 946.
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8Firstupbestdressed47/100
Firstupbestdressed is a fair performer who has been well below form on his last three starts and looks stretched by this trip drop from his latest 2m4f run. He has tried Downpatrick six times without winning or placing and has no success in eight runs on good ground. First-time headgear is now applied but Gary McGill and Conor Stone-Walsh both hold modest 8% strike rates at the track. Usually held up, his recent form reads U4-300.
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9Granlahan45/100
Granlahan is a fair performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip, landing minor honours in two of four runs. He has been competitive on good ground without winning and finished second on his only previous visit to Downpatrick. Adrian McGuinness’s yard has a modest 5% strike rate here from 37 runs and Darragh O’Keeffe’s 10% record from 159 rides suggest they will need to improve on those figures to land this. Usually held up, his recent form reads 3U3624.
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10Banphrionsa Alainn43/100
Banphrionsa Alainn is a fair performer on the balance of her three runs so far but the form is modest and the small sample means any assessment has to be tentative. She drops back in trip today to a distance she has not tried, which asks a fresh question. A D Leahy and Dylan O’Connor both have no recorded runs or rides at Downpatrick. Usually held up, her recent form reads 0-05.
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11Menas Miracle42/100
Menas Miracle is a fair performer who has shown enough to win twice on good ground from seven starts. He was pulled up last time after a string of placed efforts and now drops back in trip having failed to trouble the judge in his only previous run at this distance. Course form is limited to a single seventh here and both Brendan Oliver Walsh and Mr B T Stone have too few runs at Downpatrick to draw any firm conclusions. Usually held up, his recent form reads 5-61P3.
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12John Dixen37/100
John Dixen is a modest performer who has shown very little in six starts to date and was well held when last seen at this track. The drop back in trip today poses a fresh question. P J Rothwell has a modest record here while the claiming jockey Conor Clarke has had too few rides at the course to judge. Usually held up, his recent form reads 000-60.
KTB verdict
Youknowthecode is the KTB Selection. A useful performer on the balance of his ratings and race history, he represents a yard with an established record at Downpatrick and can capitalise on being ridden by a jockey who has shown respect for the track. The step up in trip poses a question but the steadily-run pace should suit his held-up style. Main dangers are Pahlavi, who has a good course record, and the in-form He Who Dares, while South Of Killerig and Ripsnorter cannot be entirely ruled out if the race falls their way.
KTB Selection Youknowthecode
This is the narrative read of the 2:47 Downpatrick. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Downpatrick racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Downpatrick results & records page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Why is the race expected to be tactical?
The pace shape lacks a leader and almost every runner is described as held up, pointing to a steadily-run affair in which being handy pays.
Which horse has the best course record in the field?
Pahlavi has won one of his two starts at Downpatrick.
Who holds the strongest trainer strike rate at Downpatrick among the principals?
S Curling has a 17% strike rate at Downpatrick from 24 runs with He Who Dares.
Which runner is wearing first-time headgear?
Firstupbestdressed is fitted with first-time headgear.
How many of the field are stepping up or down in trip?
Youknowthecode, Pahlavi, South Of Killerig, Ripsnorter, He Who Dares, Firstupbestdressed, Banphrionsa Alainn, Menas Miracle and John Dixen are all either stepping up or dropping in trip.
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