Timeform Irish SmartPlays: Kingsgate Native to be crowned at Dundalk

The listed Mercury Stakes in the feaute race on tonight's card at Dundalk

The Timeform Irish team bring you three selections for tonight's meeting at Dundalk...

Flic Flac has been a bit in-and-out this year, but there is no denying that she is a useful sort when everything clicks and she looks to hold leading claims in the 19:00. The Dermot Weld-trained filly dead-heated in this corresponding race 12 months ago off a 1 lb higher mark and produced her best effort of the season when chasing home Piri Wango at Leopardstown on her penultimate start. She ran respectably in a warm event there last time and she looks worth supporting despite her wide draw this evening.

The listed Mercury Stakes at 20:00 is the feature race on tonight's card and it looks a hot event, with three former Group 1 winners in the line-up and whilst Starbangledbanner is likely to prove a warm order en-route to the Breeder's Cup, Kingsgate Native looks worth chancing at the current odds. A dual winner at the top level in his younger days, Kingsgate Native has not actually won since 2010, but he has joined a stable that do well with similar types and looked unlucky not to win a Newbury Group 3 last month. He reportedly bled when disappointing last time, but a reproduction of his Newbury effort should see him go close and Kingsgate Native could be overpriced on his polytrack debut.

It would be fair to say that Fairylike is one of Aidan O'Brien's lesser lights, having scored only once in 22 starts to date, landing a nine-furlong handicap at Ballinrobe by six lengths last year. She has struggled off higher marks since that effort, but the handicapper has relented and she shaped as if back in form when third behind Parramatta and Coach Bombay over C&D last time. The latter finished a neck in front of Fairylike that day and there is unlikely to be much between the pair this evening, but he runs off a career-high mark tonight, while the feeling is that Fairylike has room to manouvre off her current mark.

Timeform Irish SmartPlays:
All at Dundalk

Back Flic Flac in the 19:00
Back Kingsgate Native in the 20:00
Back Fairylike in the 21:25

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