Longshot: Thyestes Handicap Chase

After another weekend hiatus due to the weekend abandonments on Saturday, there is a standout each way bet for the annual Thyestes Chase on Thursday at Gowran Park. The long distance handicap chase is always an eagerly awaited handicap in Ireland, and there is often a huge turn out at the meeting crowd wise. Willie Mullins often targets this race due to the proximity of the course to his stables - so it's often a home meeting for the Closutton stable. He has one here that stands out at a tasty double digit price.

2:50 Gowran Park - 3m1f - Thyestes Handicap Chase (Grade 3)

As discussed the master trainer Willie Mullins usually targets this race with a useful horse, and having won the race 5 times in the last 10 years he certainly is a trainer to follow at his local track. He has 5 entered here with Glengouly being his shortest priced runner in the betting after a decent 2nd in a handicap chase at Limerick over Christmas. He's on an attractive mark and will carry a low weight here on likely heavy ground, so definitely has his chance. However I'm going to side with BRONN, who I think will run a big race here after 2 lifeless performances this season and 16/1 looks an attractive price for the double green owned gelding assuming he runs like I think he will.

A decent novice hurdler who won the Grade 2 novice hurdle at Fairyhouse in the spring of 2022, and he ran an absolute cracker in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last season, finishing 3rd at a massive 50/1 on soft ground. For a horse who had only run over fences twice going into the Festival, it was a cracking run where he travelled well throughout before being outstayed on the run in. He hasn't been seen to any effect this season, opening his campaign stone last in a listed chase at Wexford back in November. He finished lame that day having been struck into, and can be forgiven for that run. Well beaten again in the Savills Chase on New Year Day at Tramore, it was likely a pipe opener and a confidence building run to tee him up for this race. Willie did the same with the ill-fated Invitation Only back in 2019, who was well beaten at Tramore and then went on to win this race off a mark of 152. He's also given Carefully Selected and Total Recall prep runs before this race, in which they were well beaten, before taking the prize in their respective years.

Bronn may be suspectible to a horse running off a lower weight in likely testing conditions however he's got a lot of class and was expected to be a Grand National horse at the start of the season. Sure to win a big handicap at some point in his career with Closutton - I expect him to be a big runner here and 16/1 looks decent value from an each way point of view given he has the right profile especially as I can forgive him for 2 luckless runs so far this season.

Bets:

Bronn - 1.5pts ew @ 16/1 (Ladbrokes)