5:55 Roscommon
The 5:55 at Roscommon is a 13-runner 0-70 handicap over 7f94y on good ground. A competitive field features several course-conversant performers and recent winners, with KTB Fit Scores tightly bunched between 57 and 38. The KTB numbers highlight a fair few with place claims at this venue while underlining that recent form and trip suitability will be key.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape points to a lone leader with high confidence, suggesting one horse will secure an uncontested lead that could prove difficult for closers to reel in. The vast majority of the field are held-up types who produce their effort late, meaning the race is likely to develop into a test of whether any of the patient runners can bridge the gap in the straight. Punica Granatum is the only confirmed front-runner in the line-up and could therefore take up the role, setting a shape that asks whether the leader can kick on or if the pack will close him down late.
The KTB Fit ranking
-
1Eddie G KTB Selection57/100
Eddie G is a fair handicapper who arrives in form after two wins in his last three starts. He has shown up well at this track without winning and handles good ground, while the trip looks ideal given his three victories at it from 13 attempts. The trainer has a solid record here but the claiming jockey is operating below the yard's usual level. Usually held up, he will be produced late off what is expected to be a steady gallop. With a wide draw in stall 13 he will need to be switched on turning in, yet his recent upward curve makes him the one to beat.
-
2Goal Exceeded55/100
Goal Exceeded is a fair performer who has been consistent this year with form figures of 203144 and holds solid course connections through his trainer. He drops back to 7f today having won twice at the trip from 13 attempts though his last run came over a mile. The yard and jockey both record a 10% strike rate at Roscommon from decent sized samples. Like most of his rivals he is usually held up and will be looking to come from off the pace. His consistency gives him every chance of figuring prominently if the leader does not get away.
-
3Morehampton54/100
Morehampton is a fair performer who has shown mixed form this year but has a placed effort here from his only run at the track. He has won on good ground and at this trip, though his recent efforts have been largely modest. Trainer and jockey both have solid records at Roscommon. Usually held up, the three-year-old will be delivered late and should appreciate the step back to 7f. A placed run on his sole visit to the course suggests he handles the venue, keeping him in the mix.
-
4Earls53/100
Earls is a fair performer who has won three times from seven starts at this track and also has a solid record at today's trip with five wins from 25 attempts. Recent form of 022237 shows consistent placed efforts though no victory since last year, and he acts on good ground with two wins from 12 starts. Gavin Cromwell has a 12% strike rate here from 192 runs while Gary Carroll matches that figure from 258 rides. Usually held up with medium confidence in that assessment, he will be produced with his effort in the straight. His course record makes him a major player once more.
-
5Merisi Diamond51/100
Merisi Diamond is a modest performer who has won twice from four starts at this track and also has a solid record at today's trip. Recent form includes a win last time out yet he has never placed from two runs on good ground. Trainer and jockey both have established records here though neither is particularly strong. Usually held up, he will be waited with before delivering his challenge. The course record is a plus, but his lack of placed form on good ground leaves a question mark against him in these conditions.
-
6Ninth Crusade51/100
Ninth Crusade is a modest performer who has shown some consistency, finishing in the frame on three of his seven starts including a placed effort at today's trip. The yard has a solid record at Roscommon and Colin Keane rides here with a respectable strike rate at the track. Going suitability remains unknown on this lightly-raced profile.
-
7Gavoo50/100
Gavoo is a fair 3 year old who has been consistent without winning this year, placing three times on good ground from seven starts. He steps up to 7f for the first time in a while having failed to trouble the judge on his two previous tries at the trip, while first time headgear is now applied. The yard and jockey both operate at a modest strike rate here at Roscommon.
-
8Engines On48/100
Engines On is a fair sort who won over this trip earlier in his career but has been well below form in four starts since. He has only run once at Roscommon and finished seventh while his trainer has failed to land a winner from seven attempts at the track. The jockey does have a solid 9 percent strike rate from 372 rides here though the horse is dropping back from a mile and his record on good ground shows ability without a win.
-
9Punica Granatum48/100
Punica Granatum is a fair performer who has shown some ability at this trip, placing twice in five starts without winning. Recent form has been patchy but the third at this course last time was a step back in the right direction. Trainer and jockey both have solid records at Roscommon though the first-time headgear is an unknown. The sole confirmed front-runner, he could set the pace in a race where the lead may not be contested.
-
10Plume Noire45/100
Plume Noire is a fair performer who has won three times at this trip but arrives out of form having been well held on both starts this year. Only one run at Roscommon resulted in a modest fourth and both trainer and jockey have modest strike rates here. Drops back from a mile with a wide draw to contend with.
-
11Highbury See See42/100
Highbury See See is a modest performer who has been largely out of form this year with a string of modest efforts. Drops back to 7f having won at the trip in the past though he has looked stretched over 1m last time. Trainer has a solid 12% strike rate here from a big sample while the horse showed some encouragement when fourth on his only previous run at the track.
-
12Tokyo Treasure41/100
Tokyo Treasure is a fair performer who has shown some ability at this trip, placing twice in four starts without winning. He ran poorly when tried here once before, finishing 13th, and his recent form has been patchy with a best of seventh on his latest outing. Trainer has only a small sample at Roscommon while the jockey's modest 5% strike-rate from 80 rides here offers little encouragement.
-
13Mercurial38/100
Mercurial is a modest performer who has been placed on his last two visits to Roscommon without winning. He has shown consistent form on good ground and at this trip though he has never managed to get his head in front. The trainer holds a solid record here while the jockey's strike rate at the track is modest.
KTB verdict
Eddie G stands out as the KTB Selection. A fair handicapper in form with two wins from his last three starts, he has shown up well at Roscommon before, handles good ground and is suited by the trip. Usually held up, he will be produced late against what is expected to be an uncontested lead. The main dangers are Earls with his strong course record, the consistent Goal Exceeded, and course winner Merisi Diamond, though the latter has yet to show his form on good ground.
KTB Selection Eddie G
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 00:00 UTC, 31 Aug. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Eddie G | 6/1 | Bet Victor |
| Goal Exceeded | 11/2 | Bet365 |
| Morehampton | 15/2 | Bet365 |
| Earls | 17/2 | Bet365 |
| Merisi Diamond | 6/1 | Bet365 |
| Ninth Crusade | 6/1 | Bet365 |
| Gavoo | 8/1 | Bet Victor |
| Engines On | 28/1 | Bet365 |
| Punica Granatum | 13/2 | Bet365 |
| Plume Noire | 25/1 | BetTom |
| Highbury See See | 12/1 | Bet Victor |
| Tokyo Treasure | 33/1 | Bet Victor |
| Mercurial | 16/1 | Bet365 |
This is the narrative read of the 5:55 Roscommon. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Roscommon racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Roscommon results & records page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is most likely to take the uncontested lead?
Punica Granatum is the only confirmed front-runner in the field and therefore has the best chance of setting the pace in a race with a lone-leader shape.
How many course winners are in the line-up?
Earls has won three times from seven starts at Roscommon and Merisi Diamond has won twice from four starts here.
Which trainers have the strongest strike rates at Roscommon according to the supplied data?
M D O'Callaghan has a 15% strike rate, John J Nallen a 15% strike rate, J P Murtagh a 14% strike rate and Mrs John Harrington a 13% strike rate at the track.
Who is the only horse to have won at this trip from fewer than ten attempts?
Eddie G has three wins at the trip from 13 attempts; no other horse in the race has a better win-to-runs record at 7f.
Which runners have first-time headgear?
Gavoo and Punica Granatum both race in first-time headgear.
18+. Analysis and entertainment only — no guarantee of profit. KTB race previews are published for interest and are not betting advice. Only ever stake what you can comfortably afford to lose, and set your own limits. Free, confidential help: the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 (GamCare.org.uk); in Ireland, the GamblingCare.ie helpline on 1800 936 725. Self-exclude at any time via GAMSTOP.
More from Kickthebookies