8:18 Roscommon
The 8:18 at Roscommon is a 2m Pro/Am INH Flat Race on soft ground featuring a field of nine four-year-olds. KTB's numbers highlight a strong top end with Linford heading the Fit ratings on the back of an impressive debut success, while several others bring respectable RPRs or notable pedigree and trainer support. The race lacks depth beyond the leading quartet, with a number of debutants and modest performers making up the remainder.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape points to a lone leader with medium confidence, and with Tell The Boys a confirmed front-runner and Linford usually prominent, the early lead looks likely to go uncontested. This sets up a scenario where the leader could dictate terms and prove hard for held-up types to reel in on this soft surface. The key question is whether the prominent runners can maintain their advantage or if any closer can bridge the gap in the straight.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Linford KTB Selection65/100RPR 128 — field comparison calculated at page load
- 2Coolnagrattan61/100RPR 106 — field comparison calculated at page load
- 3Caislean Gear60/100No RPR available — neutral score applied
- 4Fleu Du Glaye59/100RPR 112 — field comparison calculated at page load
- 5Tell The Boys57/100RPR 124 — field comparison calculated at page load
- 6Skylab51/100No RPR available — neutral score applied
- 7Hilly Filly42/100No RPR available — neutral score applied
- 8Knocknasuff41/100RPR 50 — field comparison calculated at page load
- 9Familiar Game40/100No RPR available — neutral score applied
The contenders
Linford KTB Fit 65/100
Linford tops the KTB Fit ratings at 65 and carries the highest official figures with an RPR of 128 and Topspeed of 109 after a comfortable 10-length win at Killarney on debut. That success came over 2m1f, so the drop back to 2m here poses a fresh question while the small sample means the RPR and Topspeed numbers should be treated with caution. He usually races handily on or close to the lead, which looks ideal given the projected uncontested pace. W P Mullins has a 22% strike rate at Roscommon from 282 runs with an A/E of 0.92, and his son Mr P W Mullins is 20% from 54 rides at the track with an A/E of 0.72. The combination of high-class bare form and powerful connections makes him the one to beat, though he is unproven on yielding to soft ground and has no previous course form.
Coolnagrattan KTB Fit 61/100
Coolnagrattan is rated second on KTB Fit at 61 after showing some promise when finishing fourth on debut at Punchestown in first-time headgear. He holds an RPR of 106 and a Topspeed of 40 that mark him down as smart on that bare form though the small sample means it must be treated with caution. Usually held up and producing his effort late, he will need the leaders to come back to him if the pace shape holds true. The trainer and jockey both have too few runs at Roscommon to draw any conclusions from, and he is unproven on yielding to soft ground with no course form on record. Overall he shapes as one who could improve but has plenty to find with the selection on the figures available.
Caislean Gear KTB Fit 60/100
Caislean Gear is a newcomer rated third on KTB Fit at 60 with no racecourse form, so assessment rests on pedigree. By Galileo Chrome out of an unraced half-sister to smart middle-distance performer Rhythm Mad and jumps winner No Greater Love, he is likely best watched on debut. Andrew Slattery has a solid 12% strike rate at Roscommon from 144 runs with an A/E of 1.23, while amateur jockey Mr A P Ryan has struck at a 29% rate from just seven rides here with an A/E of 1.79. The trainer and jockey combination offers some hope but the lack of any RPR or Topspeed and the notes on his readiness point to him needing the run. No course win on record and the 8% overall win rate for the sire on this type of ground add to the unknowns.
Fleu Du Glaye KTB Fit 59/100
Fleu Du Glaye showed smart form when third on debut over 2m1f and holds an RPR of 112 and Topspeed of 95 that set a high standard for this field. The drop back to an untried 2m poses a fresh question while the yard's modest 4% strike rate at Roscommon from 208 runs with an A/E of 0.52 is a negative. Typically settling in midfield, he will be looking to pick up the pieces if the leader gets away, though the limited evidence on run-style carries low confidence. He is unproven on yielding to soft ground and has no course form on record, leaving the overall picture tentative with only one run on the clock. P J Rothwell and Mr S E O'Rourke face an uphill task on these bare numbers.
The rest of the field
Tell The BoysKTB Fit 57/100
Tell The Boys is a high-class performer on the figures with an RPR of 124 and Topspeed of 104 after winning two of her three starts including a recent canter at Listowel. She drops back to 2m having won at the trip before and first-time headgear is now added, while she tends to make the running or race on the pace which fits the projected lone-leader shape. Declan Queally has a 6% strike rate at Roscommon from 17 runs with an A/E of 0.37 and the jockey has had too few rides here to judge, but she remains a major player on ability.
SkylabKTB Fit 51/100
Skylab is a first foal out of a bumper-placed dam from a strong middle-distance and mile family that has produced Group 1 winners Qemah, Ask Victor More and Pretty Gorgeous. Connections are potent here with Mullins holding a 22% strike rate from 282 runs at Roscommon and Miss J Townend showing 29% from 14 rides at the track with an A/E of 1.08. As a debutant with no racecourse form the market will tell the tale especially with the yard also running Linford.
Hilly FillyKTB Fit 42/100
Hilly Filly is a newcomer bred to stay well as a half-sister to useful bumper and jumps winner Fascile Mode plus a 2m7f chase winner, and her dam won over 2m4f so the pedigree suggests she will improve with time and distance. The yard has a modest 6% strike rate at Roscommon from 83 runs with an A/E of 0.66 while the claiming jockey has had too few rides here to judge.
KnocknasuffKTB Fit 41/100
Knocknasuff showed very little in his only run so far, finishing tailed off at 100-1 in a Killarney bumper, and that effort marks him as limited on the figures available with an RPR of 50 and Topspeed of 19. The drop back to 2m is an unknown and with only one previous run overall the data here is too thin to draw firm conclusions.
Familiar GameKTB Fit 40/100
Familiar Game is a newcomer who cost just 2,600gns as a 3yo and is a half-brother to a pair of sprint winners while his dam was a modest maiden over 6f and 7f. The yard has a 4% strike rate from 27 runs at Roscommon with an A/E of 0.46 while the jockey is 6% from 17 rides here with an A/E of 0.53.
KTB verdict
Linford stands out as the KTB Selection on the back of his high-class bare figures and the Mullins family's strong record at the venue. His prominent run-style should allow him to track or share the uncontested lead, and the RPR of 128 sets a clear standard that few can match. Tell The Boys is the obvious danger as another high-class performer on the figures who likes to lead, while Coolnagrattan and Fleu Du Glaye bring respectable debut form but face questions over trip and yard record at the track.
KTB Selection Linford
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 09:25 UTC, 8 Jun. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Linford | 10/11 | Bet365 |
| Coolnagrattan | 20/1 | 10Bet |
| Caislean Gear | 12/1 | 10Bet |
| Fleu Du Glaye | 35/1 | 7Bet |
| Tell The Boys | 19/10 | 7Bet |
| Skylab | 7/1 | QuinnBet |
| Hilly Filly | 35/1 | 7Bet |
| Knocknasuff | 80/1 | 10Bet |
| Familiar Game | 100/1 | 7Bet |
This is the narrative read of the 8:18 Roscommon. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Roscommon racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the highest RPR in the field?
Linford with an RPR of 128.
How many debutants are in the race?
Four: Caislean Gear, Skylab, Hilly Filly and Familiar Game.
Which runner is likely to take the uncontested lead?
Tell The Boys, as a confirmed front-runner in a lone-leader pace shape.
What is W P Mullins's strike rate at Roscommon?
22% from 282 runs with an A/E of 0.92.
Which horse is having its first-time headgear fitted?
Tell The Boys.
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