Captain Joy (Pat Smullen) winning on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield in 2016© Photo Healy Racing
Tracey Collins is hoping the forecast rain arrives as her all-weather star Captain Joy dips his toe on the turf in the Big 50 Happy Valley Brewery Classic Handicap at Limerick this afternoon.
The Curragh handler has her fingers crossed the weather will oblige ahead of the one-mile test for the evergreen nine-year-old, who steps back into the breach for the first time since he finished sixth on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield on Good Friday.
“He’s in good form. We’re just hoping the rain comes that they say is going to arrive,” said Collins.
“He seems well and we’re happy with him. He got a little bit of a break after Lingfield. The ground conditions in Ireland were horrendous.
“He can’t get out of that heavy ground and there was no race for him. There was nothing for him in Dundalk and our hands were tied. We’re going to Limerick and it will be the first time rolling down a hill in his life.”
Captain Joy faces 11 rivals with Richard O’Brien’s Beach Bar heading the weights and a brace of three-year-olds, Ger Lyons’ Overcoming and the Jim Bolger-trained Aiseolas in the mix.
Bolger sends Dawn Hoofer back to the track for the Follow Limerick On Facebook Rated Race after she got off the mark at Roscommon on Monday.
Her five rivals include the Aidan O’Brien-trained Christopher Robin who is still a maiden after five starts.
The opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden features the debut of the Aga Khan’s home-bred Havana Gold colt Zuenoon, trained by Dermot Weld.
