7:20 Killarney
The 7:20 at Killarney is a 15-runner Kerry Drains Handicap Hurdle over 2m1f. A competitive field mixes several useful performers who are largely unproven on the ground, with first-time headgear a recurring theme among the principals. KTB Fit Scores are tightly bunched at the top, underlining an open-looking race where course experience, trip suitability and the application of headgear could prove decisive.
How the race shapes up
With a number of prominent runners and few confirmed hold-up types, the race is set to be run at a sound gallop. The pace shape suggests an even test where those who can race handily without using up too much energy will be best placed. The key question is whether the leaders can dictate matters or if the race will fall apart late, allowing a stronger traveller to close up the straight.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Regards To Rose KTB Selection63/100Useful performer who has placed twice in three runs at Killarney without winning.
- 2Kamino Bello62/100Smart performer who showed useful form when landing a handicap at this track last summer before struggling in stronger company.
- 3Katakana57/100Useful performer who has shown enough in races to suggest he can be competitive at this level.
- 4Secret Rock54/100Smart performer on his day but has been well below form on both starts here and looks stretched by this trip.
- 5Mc Swagger53/100Useful performer who has failed to build on early promise and arrives here on the back of two poor runs.
- 6Party President52/100Party President is a useful performer with some placed form to his name but has been inconsistent lately and was pulled up on his penultimate start.
- 7Kingdom Calling51/100Fair performer who has run twice here without placing.
- 8Kilt49/100Useful performer who arrives in decent nick after a win and a solid fourth at this trip.
- 9Claude49/100Smart performer who has shown ability on several occasions but has been inconsistent and failed to complete on his last two starts.
- 10Kabylia48/100Smart performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip though remains a maiden after 11 starts.
- 11Rattledelatch48/100Rattledelatch is a useful sort who showed more promise when sixth at this track last time having been pulled up on his previous start.
- 12Lips Freedom47/100Useful performer who showed the benefit of the new headgear when winning at the fifth attempt last time.
- 13Home By The Sea45/100Useful performer who showed a bit more when fourth on return at this track last month.
- 14Corkbeg41/100Corkbeg is a fair handicapper who has run well at this track on both starts, finishing second on his most recent visit.
- 15Midnight Eagle41/100Useful performer who has shown a bit of spark on his last two starts after a long spell in the doldrums.
The contenders
Regards To Rose KTB Fit 63/100
Regards To Rose is a useful performer who has placed twice in three runs at Killarney without winning. She steps up in trip today having shown little on her last two starts and remains unproven on this ground. First-time headgear is now applied. The trainer has a 9% strike rate at Killarney from 113 runs while the jockey boasts a 13% strike rate from 93 rides at the track. Trainer and jockey combine with an 8% strike rate from 434 runners overall. The mare has form figures of 351-89 and is the KTB Selection.
Kamino Bello KTB Fit 62/100
Kamino Bello is a smart performer who showed useful form when landing a handicap at this track last summer before struggling in stronger company. He drops back in trip today having been well held over 2m2f on return and his recent sixth here suggests he needs to improve to be competitive. The trainer has a 6% strike rate from 202 runs at Killarney. Trainer and jockey combine with an 18% strike rate from 38 runners overall. He has form figures of 1560-6 and is unproven on the ground with no course form on record beyond that recent effort.
Katakana KTB Fit 57/100
Katakana is a useful performer who has shown enough in races to suggest he can be competitive at this level. He steps up in trip today having failed to land a blow in five previous attempts at this distance and is unproven on the ground. First-time headgear is now applied. The trainer has a 17% strike rate at Killarney from 406 runs while the jockey has a 16% strike rate from 175 rides at the track. Trainer and jockey combine with a 16% strike rate from 902 runners overall. He has form figures of 06910- and no course form on record.
Secret Rock KTB Fit 54/100
Secret Rock is a smart performer on his day but has been well below form on both starts here and looks stretched by this trip. He steps up from 1m7½f today having failed to trouble the judge in two previous attempts at this distance. The trainer records a 10% strike-rate from 58 runs at the track while the jockey is 0-8 at Killarney. Trainer and jockey combine with no overall strike rate supplied. He has form figures of 15/5-1, has run twice here without placing and is unproven on the ground.
Mc Swagger KTB Fit 53/100
Mc Swagger is a useful performer who has failed to build on early promise and arrives here on the back of two poor runs. Dropping back in trip today raises a fresh question having been well held in three previous attempts at this distance. The trainer strikes at 9% from 113 runs at Killarney. Trainer and jockey combine with a 9% strike rate from 23 runners overall. He has form figures of 39-U90, showed little when unseating here on his only previous visit and is unproven on the ground.
The rest of the field
Party PresidentKTB Fit 52/100
Party President is a useful performer with some placed form to his name but has been inconsistent lately and was pulled up on his penultimate start. He steps up in trip today having won once from three runs at this distance though his only previous visit to Killarney resulted in an eighth-place finish. The trainer has no recorded runners at the track while the 7 lb claimer takes the ride.
Kingdom CallingKTB Fit 51/100
Kingdom Calling is a fair performer who has run twice here without placing. He steps up in trip today having failed to win in seven attempts at this distance and now tries headgear for the first time. The trainer holds a solid 9 percent strike rate at Killarney from a big sample.
KiltKTB Fit 49/100
Kilt is a useful performer who arrives in decent nick after a win and a solid fourth at this trip. He has never been to Killarney before and is unproven on the ground, so both represent unknowns rather than proven negatives. The trainer's modest 5% strike rate from 183 runs here adds a note of caution.
ClaudeKTB Fit 49/100
Claude is a smart performer who has shown ability on several occasions but has been inconsistent and failed to complete on his last two starts. He drops back in trip today having won at this distance previously though the first-time headgear is an unknown and he has no experience on this ground. The trainer has had too few runners here to judge while the jockey has a modest record at the track.
KabyliaKTB Fit 48/100
Kabylia is a smart performer who has shown consistent placed form at this trip though remains a maiden after 11 starts. First run at Killarney and unproven on the ground add unknowns while the trainer's modest 6% strike rate here is another negative. First-time headgear is now fitted.
RattledelatchKTB Fit 48/100
Rattledelatch is a useful sort who showed more promise when sixth at this track last time having been pulled up on his previous start. He steps up in trip today having failed to land a blow at this distance on his sole attempt so far. The yard has a 9% strike rate from 78 runs at Killarney while first-time headgear is now applied.
Lips FreedomKTB Fit 47/100
Lips Freedom is a useful performer who showed the benefit of the new headgear when winning at the fifth attempt last time. He drops back in trip having been unsuccessful in two previous runs at this distance and is unproven on the ground. The trainer has a modest 6% strike rate from 16 runs at Killarney.
Home By The SeaKTB Fit 45/100
Home By The Sea is a useful performer who showed a bit more when fourth on return at this track last month. The step up in trip is an unknown at this stage and the small amount of overall form leaves some questions. The trainer has a 9% strike rate here from 128 runs.
CorkbegKTB Fit 41/100
Corkbeg is a fair handicapper who has run well at this track on both starts, finishing second on his most recent visit. He drops back in trip today having won over this distance in the past though he has been out of form on his last two starts and now tries headgear for the first time. The trainer has an 8% strike rate from 88 runs at Killarney while the jockey is 0-5 at the track.
Midnight EagleKTB Fit 41/100
Midnight Eagle is a useful performer who has shown a bit of spark on his last two starts after a long spell in the doldrums. He drops back in trip today having failed to land a blow in four previous attempts at this distance and remains unproven on the prevailing ground. The trainer has yet to register a winner from nine runs at Killarney.
KTB verdict
Regards To Rose is the KTB Selection. She has placed twice from three starts at Killarney and the first-time headgear may help her to put a couple of lacklustre runs behind her now stepping up in trip. The combination of course placings, a jockey who rides the track well and a yard that knows its way around Killarney gives her solid claims. Main dangers are Kamino Bello, who has a good track record when in form, and Katakana, who brings strong trainer and jockey figures and the possible benefit of first-time headgear. Secret Rock and Mc Swagger add further depth in what looks a typically competitive Killarney handicap.
KTB Selection Regards To Rose
This is the narrative read of the 7:20 Killarney. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Killarney racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse has the strongest course record among the principals?
Regards To Rose has placed twice in three runs at Killarney.
How many of the 15 runners are wearing first-time headgear?
Seven runners are wearing first-time headgear: Regards To Rose, Katakana, Kingdom Calling, Claude, Kabylia, Rattledelatch and Corkbeg.
Which trainer has the highest strike rate at Killarney in this field?
Henry De Bromhead has a 17% strike rate at Killarney from 406 runs.
Which jockey has the best strike rate at the track among those with meaningful data?
G B Noonan has a 13% strike rate at Killarney from 93 rides.
Which horse is dropping back in trip after a recent effort over further?
Kamino Bello drops back in trip after being well held over 2m2f.
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