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Frank O'Beirne Memorial Beginners Steeplechase

16:05 Sligo Wed 30 Sep 2026 3m1f182y Good 10 runners

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Mr Fox’s call

Down Around silks

Down Around

SPECULATIVE Advised 5/2 Est. 28%

Mr Fox says

Down Around (SR 115, 5/2) is the clear ability leader in this beginner chase field, with a recent form line of 6-7141 that shows a win last time out and consistent improvement under blinkers. Gordon Elliott (18% strike rate, 4,018 runners) booking Jack Kennedy (22% strike rate, 1,210 runners) is comfortably the strongest trainer-jockey combination on the card — Kennedy's 22% career win rate is elite and signals a yard confident in this runner. GoingFit:~ confirms the horse handles good ground adequately, and at 5/2 the market still prices it as the dominant force despite a modest 8% drift which appears more tactical than alarming. The MarkMv:+5 is a small negative but in a beginners chase where SRs cluster between 72 and 119, the 8-10 point SR gap over the next-best rivals is the decisive factor. Each-way alternative: Affinity Rock. Main danger: Affinity Rock — Affinity Rock (SR 119, 3/1) is actually the SR leader in the field, carries a lighter weight of 11-5 giving it a 7lb pull on Down Around, and despite a 10% drift the four-star AI rating and competitive recent form line 0-2234 show progressive ability — if Down Around's blinkers fail to sharpen it jumping, Affinity Rock's raw SR edge could be decisive.

Verify· #20655

Full result

Winner: Only For Our Man (IRE) at SP 11/4F. Mr Fox’s picks highlighted in gold.

  1. 1 Only For Our Man silks Only For Our Man Fox #3 Paul Nolan · Sean Flanagan 7/2
  2. 2 Affinity Rock silks Affinity Rock Fox #2 Cian Collins · Jordan Gainford 7/2
  3. 3 River Tara silks River Tara C A Murphy · Brian Hayes 12/1
  4. 4 Mags Nelson silks Mags Nelson Ross O'Sullivan · Danny Gilligan 10/1
  5. 5 Benner Wenner silks Benner Wenner Henry de Bromhead · Mike O'Connor 20/1
  6. — Bergamasquo silks Bergamasquo Gavin Cromwell · Kieren Buckley 10/1
  7. — Down Around silks Down Around Fox #1 Gordon Elliott · Jack Kennedy 10/3
  8. — Ready For Road silks Ready For Road Gavin Cromwell · Keith Donoghue 14/1
  9. — Walkingmayotomilan silks Walkingmayotomilan Fox #4 Ross O'Sullivan · Shane Markey(7) 9/2
  10. — Boston Rajj silks Boston Rajj Ian O'Connor · Gearoid Brouder(5) -

Top 4 — how each finished

  1. 1 Down Around silks Down Around 5/2
  2. 2 Affinity Rock silks Affinity Rock 3/1 🥈 2ND
  3. 3 Only For Our Man silks Only For Our Man 6/1 SP 11/4F 🏆 WON
  4. 4 Walkingmayotomilan silks Walkingmayotomilan 17/2