Scarlet And Dove faces 7 rivals in Flyingbolt Joseph O’Brien looks to have a strong hand in the feature race at Navan this afternoon — the Flyingbolt Novice Chase — with the Piltown trainer sending out two of the market leaders in this Grade 3 with Scarlet And Dove and Sempo. Scarlet And Dove scored in good style at the Limerick Christmas meeting and was still right in contention when exiting at the penultimate fence in a Grade 2 at Thurles last time. The Jeremy mare is owned by Gigginstown who are also represented in this two-miler by Epson Du Houx. Henry de Bromhead’s charge was bidding for a hat-trick when dropping away in the straight last time in the valuable Matheson Handicap Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival. Elsewhere on this seven-race card beginning at 1.40pm, Emmet Mullins saddles a short-priced favourite in the 2m6f maiden hurdle (at 3.23) where runaway Thurles bumper winner Noble Yeats makes his debut over flights in the hands of Brian Hayes. Willie Mullins and Paul Townend are never too far away from the winners’ enclosure and they will be hoping to combine for yet another success with Manitopark Aa in the two-miles mares maiden hurdle (at 2.13). The going is currently described as yielding to soft on the hurdle course and soft on the chase course with a dry weather forecast. Racing takes place tomorrow at Leopardstown where the TRI Equestrian Handicap Chase is the highlight on a seven-race card beginning at 2.10pm. Some selective watering continues to take place on the chase course with the going currently good to yielding. The ground on the hurdle course at the south County Dublin venue is yielding, good to yielding in places
