1:10 Limerick
A 19-runner maiden hurdle at Limerick over 2m188y on yielding ground offers the usual wide-open look to these early-season events. The KTB Fit ratings point to a race with little depth, headed by Hidden Hurricane on 62, with the next four principals clustered between 55 and 49. Most of the field arrive with limited experience, questions over the trip, the ground or both, and several trainers with strong local records add further layers to the puzzle.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape is a lone leader with high confidence, suggesting one horse will get an uncontested lead that could prove difficult for closers to bridge in the latter stages. Trubshaw is the only confirmed front-runner in the field and is likely to take up that role, while the majority of runners, including the selection Hidden Hurricane, are expected to race in mid-division or be held up. The key question is whether anything can muster the necessary finishing effort on this yielding surface to reel in the clear leader late on.
The KTB Fit ranking
-
1Hidden Hurricane KTB Selection62/100
Hidden Hurricane has only one career start behind him and steps up in trip today to a distance he has not been tried over. The yard has an 11% strike rate from nine runs at Limerick while Luke Burke Ott is 8% from 12 rides at the track. With such a small sample overall this one has to be treated with caution. The KTB Fit score of 62 marks him out as the clear top pick in a race short on established form. He is unproven on yielding ground and has no course form on record, yet the trainer-jockey combination carries positive local figures that cannot be ignored in an ordinary maiden.
-
2Lady Luck55/100
Lady Luck has shown little in three runs at this track and steps up markedly in trip today having last been seen over 1m1½f. The first-time headgear is an unknown and she remains unproven on yielding ground. Trainer Rodger Sweeney has a 10% strike rate from 91 runs at Limerick. Her recent form figures read blank and she has no win or place to her name from three previous attempts here. Held up in rear is her usual run-style, which may not be ideal given the uncontested lead likely to be enjoyed by the front-runner.
-
3Slade Harbour51/100
Slade Harbour is a newcomer with no racecourse form to go on. The yard has a solid 14% strike-rate at Limerick from a big sample while Jordan Gainford is also operating at a respectable 15% here. Pedigree and sales information will decide how much interest there is. By Mahler, he represents a trainer who knows the track well, though the absence of any public performance means his ability remains entirely untested. The KTB Fit score of 51 places him third among the principals in what is otherwise a modest field.
-
4Tiger Island49/100
Tiger Island is a newcomer with no racecourse form to go on. The yard has a solid 14% strike rate at Limerick from a big sample and the jockey is also a regular here with a 9% record. Pedigree and sales background will decide how much interest there is on debut. By Tirwanako, he comes from the same powerful local stable as Slade Harbour and lines up with a similar profile. The KTB Fit score of 49 keeps him just behind his stablemate in the rankings for this maiden.
-
5Bunker Buster49/100
Bunker Buster is lightly raced with just three runs this year and a recent unseated to go with two placed efforts. Has shown ability at today's trip without winning and the yard has a solid 15% strike rate at Limerick from a big sample. Jockey also knows the track well with a 12% strike rate from 100 rides here. He has been placed once on yielding ground and usually races held up, producing his effort late. The recent unseated adds a note of caution, yet his placed form at the trip leaves him with more substance than many of his rivals.
-
6Not A Whisper49/100
Not A Whisper has shown little in two starts so far with a fourth and a tailed-off run. He steps back up to 2m having been placed once at the trip without winning. Trainer Peter Fahey has a 12% strike rate from 136 runs at Limerick while jockey Sam Ewing is operating at 10% from 86 rides here. Usually held up, he remains unproven on yielding ground.
-
7Mailloche48/100
Mailloche showed fair placed form when third on debut over 2m2f last season. He now drops back in trip with first-time headgear and is trained by a yard that strikes at 29% at Limerick. The small sample and low data confidence mean his true level remains hard to pin down.
-
8The Bosses Order46/100
The Bosses Order has shown very little so far with a modest recent form line of 56P-5 and just one run in the last year. Dropping back in trip to an untried 2m poses a fresh question while first-time headgear is now applied. Trainer has no recorded runners at Limerick and the jockey operates at a 2% strike rate from 47 rides here.
-
9Robbie Diamonds46/100
Robbie Diamonds has shown very little in three starts over this trip, finishing well beaten on each occasion. The yard's modest 7% strike-rate at Limerick from a large sample offers no obvious encouragement here. With so few runs on the board this is all very tentative. Usually held up, he has one run on yielding with no win or place.
-
10Inishtearaght45/100
Inishtearaght is lightly raced with just two runs this year and the bare form of 54 offers little to go on. The trainer has a poor 0% strike-rate from 44 runs at Limerick while the jockey has a solid 11% record from 131 rides here. Stepping up in trip today looks a fresh question for a horse whose small sample gives low confidence overall.
-
11Days Go By44/100
Days Go By showed some promise when runner-up on debut and now steps up in trip for a yard with a 10% strike rate at Limerick from a large sample. The booking of R W Barron is positive given his 12% strike rate at the track from 52 rides. With only one run on the clock this remains very much a watching brief on low confidence data.
-
12Lennora44/100
Lennora showed little on her sole start when finishing seventh. The yard has a 0% strike rate from five runs at Limerick while this is only the fourth ride for Aidan Kelly at the track this season. Data confidence is low and the trip is a fresh question today. Usually held up, she remains unproven on yielding ground.
-
13Trubshaw44/100
Trubshaw has placed on his most recent start and showed ability on yielding ground with a win and a place from just two runs. He steps up in trip today having failed to win in one previous attempt at this distance. Henry de Bromhead has a 15% strike rate from 521 runs at Limerick while Darragh O'Keeffe is operating at 8% from 245 rides here. A confirmed front-runner, he is set to take the uncontested lead.
-
14Marco Du Seuil44/100
Marco Du Seuil is a lightly raced 4-year-old with a win on debut and a subsequent second, though the small sample means his level must be taken on trust. Gordon Elliott has a 15% strike rate from 742 runs at Limerick while Mark Walsh posts 14% from 273 rides here, both solid rather than standout. He steps up in trip today to a distance he has not tried, leaving another question mark on a going sample too small to judge. Usually held up.
-
15Thats It Ruby41/100
Thats It Ruby has shown only modest form in three starts so far and drops back in trip to a distance she has never tried. The yard and jockey both operate at a 6% strike rate from 18 starts here at Limerick. With such a light career and low data confidence this one remains very hard to assess. Usually held up.
-
16Misterous Flechois41/100
Misterous Flechois has shown very little in two starts, finishing a remote fourth on his most recent outing. The yard records a modest 6% strike rate from 18 runners at Limerick while the jockey has an 11% record from 184 rides here. Lightly raced with low data confidence, he steps up in trip today which remains an unknown.
-
17What About Max41/100
What About Max is a debutant with no racecourse experience. The yard has a modest 6% strike-rate at Limerick from a big sample of 215 runs while the jockey matches that figure from 145 rides here. Pedigree and sales background will have to carry the assessment.
-
18Kilbarry Alexy41/100
Kilbarry Alexy is a lightly raced 4-year-old with just three runs and poor recent form of 39-0. Drops back to 2m having been placed at the trip without winning on his only attempt. First-time headgear is tried while both trainer and jockey have limited track data here. Usually held up and unproven on yielding ground.
-
19On A Diamond40/100
On A Diamond is lightly raced with just three runs and modest recent form of 7-08. Trainer has a poor record at Limerick and the horse has failed to trouble the judge in its only attempt at this trip. Jockey has a solid if unspectacular record at the track but overall evidence remains very thin. Usually held up, he has one run on yielding with no win or place.
KTB verdict
Hidden Hurricane is the KTB Selection. He tops the Fit ratings on 62 in a race where most runners bring very limited form or are complete newcomers, and the yard's local record at Limerick adds substance to his claims despite the small overall sample. The step up in trip is an unknown, as is his ability on yielding ground, yet in a maiden of this nature those are acceptable risks. The main dangers are the two Paul Nolan newcomers Slade Harbour and Tiger Island, who could easily improve past established form on debut, while Bunker Buster brings the most placed efforts at the trip and Trubshaw looks sure to set the pace from the front.
KTB Selection Hidden Hurricane
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 00:14 UTC, 17 Oct. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Hidden Hurricane | 150/1 | Betfred |
| Lady Luck | 200/1 | Bet Victor |
| Slade Harbour | 11/1 | Bet365 |
| Tiger Island | 11/1 | Bet365 |
| Bunker Buster | 9/4 | Bet365 |
| Not A Whisper | 40/1 | BetTom |
| Mailloche | 13/8 | Bet365 |
| The Bosses Order | 100/1 | Bet365 |
| Robbie Diamonds | 100/1 | BoyleSports |
| Inishtearaght | 33/1 | BetTom |
| Days Go By | 66/1 | Bet365 |
| Lennora | 200/1 | Bet Victor |
| Trubshaw | 17/2 | BetTom |
| Marco Du Seuil | 9/4 | BetTom |
| Thats It Ruby | 100/1 | BoyleSports |
| Misterous Flechois | 125/1 | Bet365 |
| What About Max | 50/1 | BetTom |
| Kilbarry Alexy | 100/1 | Betfred |
| On A Diamond | 200/1 | Bet Victor |
This is the narrative read of the 1:10 Limerick. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Limerick racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Limerick results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Limerick racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is likely to take the uncontested lead?
Trubshaw, the only confirmed front-runner in the field.
How many horses in the field are complete debutants?
Three: Slade Harbour, Tiger Island and What About Max.
Which trainer has the strongest strike rate at Limerick in this race?
W. P. Mullins with a 29% strike rate from 770 runs.
Which horse has the best placed form at today's trip?
Bunker Buster, who has shown ability at today's trip without winning.
How many principals are unproven on yielding ground?
Three of the top five: Hidden Hurricane, Lady Luck and both Paul Nolan newcomers.
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