Due Reward (nearest)© Photo Healy Racing
Due Reward will bid to overcome reservations about the testing conditions when lining up in the featured Ballymore Irish EBF Novice Chase at Roscommon this afternoon.
The going is currently soft, heavy in places at the midlands track with up to 15mm of rain predicted this afternoon during racing.
Henry de Bromhead's charge comes into the two-mile contest having won his first start over fences at Killarney last month.
He had previously run a cracker to finish second to Tudor City in the Galway Hurdle.
Eddie O’Leary, racing manager for owners Gigginstown House Stud said of the Westerner gelding:-
“He’s a nice horse and he was good when he won over fences at Killarney, but the soft ground is a concern.
“It’ll be testing and I am not sure if he’ll handle that, but he has always been a nice horse and we’ll learn a bit more about him tomorrow.
“Henry is happy with him and he jumped very well at Killarney and before that, he ran a great race when second in the Galway Hurdle.”
One of his main rivals in the race looks to be the John Queally-trained Djingle who came good in explosive fashion when scoring at Listowel 20 days ago.
The Waterford handler is also hoping that his charge will handle the underfoot conditions:-
“He was very good at Listowel and I am just hoping that he’ll handle the ground. He did handle soft ground before in France, so hopefully it won’t inconvenience him too much.
“He has been in good form since Listowel and the fences come up good and quick down the back straight at Roscommon and that will help him.
“It looked the obvious race to go for and we are looking forward to running him.”
One horse in the field that has proven form on heavy ground is Cliff House and Dot Love's assistant trainer Ciaran Murphy said of him:-
“He has a bit to do on ratings with a few of them, but he does handle testing ground so we’ll let him take his chance. He’s been in great form and touch wood, his jumping has been very good.
“He is owned by a great supporter of the yard (TJ Ward) and it’s a small field, so that will help him as well. Hopefully he’ll run a good race.”
