Ayr
12.30 Merchant of Dubai looks an interesting recruit to hurdling for trainer Jim Goldie. He has won over a mile and three quarters on the flat and has been placed in listed company. On his last run he was 3rd in the competitive November Handicap at Doncaster.
1.00
Realt Mor won a maiden point to point in Ireland and after falling when a likely winner over hurdles at Ayr he made amends at Kelso in April.
Southwell
12.50 Lively Baron is an out and out stayer that seems to be getting the hang of things over fences.
From the archives
The Monksfield Hurdle that was run at Navan yesterday is named after the dual Champion Hurdle winner who was trained not far from Navan by Des McDonogh.
Monksfield won on his debut as a 2 year old at 25/1 and went on to win a total of 5 races on the flat but it was as a hurdler that he made his name. As a juvenile hurdler he was runner up in the Daily Express Triumph Hurdle behind Peterhof. The following year, 1977 he made his first assault on the Champion Hurdle challenging the winner Night Nurse all the way to the line. Three weeks later the pair met again at Liverpool and in one of the most punishing finishes ever seen the result was a dead heat.
In 1978 Monksfield won the Champion Hurdle beating another old rival, Sea Pigeon and then followed up at Aintree getting the better of Night Nurse by 2 lengths. The following year Monksfield and Sea Pigeon came to the last in the Champion Hurdle together with Sea Pigeon apparently going the better but in the battle to the line the ultra game Monksfield stuck his neck out to snatch victory from defeat.
At Cheltenham in 1980, with the distance of the race shortened by 200 yards Monksfield had to give best to Sea Pigeon and he was retired to stud. In all he won 14 times over hurdles.
ahorse 