Racing tips for Sunday from Angus McNae: Allbarone can pass stiffer test

Top presenter Angus has four selections divided between the meetings at Thurles and Southwell. The meeting scheduled for Bangor is off because of waterlogging.

I think this represents a straightforward opportunity for this filly, who looked to be a bright prospect when winning a maiden hurdle here at Thurles last time out.

That was her first start for Willie Mullins and she is open to plenty of improvement. She jumped and travelled well in that race and sauntered clear for a facile success. This represents a step up in grade but she holds a Grade One entry in the Future Stars Novices’ Hurdle at Leopardstown and is clearly highly thought of.

Michael Winters stole all the headlines last weekend at Cheltenham with the success of Chatham Street Lad. He trains the main danger to Gauloise in the shape of Sayce Gold but she is dropping a mile in trip and Gauloise should have too much speed for her.

I believe we will see Gauloise at the Cheltenham Festival and this is another stepping stone for her.

This horse will go off at a short price but is a decent maiden and should win.

He stands out as being the best horse in the race by some way and the switch to Fibresand should be no bar to success. He was an excellent second at Lingfield last time out and might have won there if he had been slightly better positioned when the pace quickened.

He had also shaped really well when a fast finishing third at Chelmsford two starts ago.

I expect Shane Kelly to make all the running on him and the combination should win easily barring some complete aversion to the surface.

This is a competitive novice event but I am keen on this progressive type.

His form has improved steadily and a win at Limerick last time out was another chunk of improvement. That was in part due to the step up in trip to three miles and he remains thoroughly unexposed over staying distances.

Trainer Henry de Bromhead has his horses in good form with three of his past ten runners winning and he won this race last year with Plan Of Attack.

This is a decent novice event with Frontal Assault likely to be popular in the market, but at around the 11-2-mark Allbarone is the horse I want to be with.

This veteran sprinter seemed revitalised when winning here on his first start on Fibresand and he had five of Sunday’s rivals behind him that day.

That win came in a fast time and he has only been raised 3lb for that success. Laura Pearson, who is a very promising claimer, was on board then and she is reunited with him.

This race is certainly no better than the one he won last time and if in the same heart he will be hard to beat.

In his prime as a sprinter he won off a mark of 103 and while he is nothing like as good a mark of 77 with an excellent claimer taking 7lb off makes him a sound punting medium.