Each-way double for Tuesday’s handicaps

Ben Dundee - Ultima Handicap Chase

An Irish runner hasn’t won this since 2006 but they have a strong hand in this year’s renewal and after last year’s Irish domination in the handicaps, it would be no surprise to see Britain’s stranglehold on this contest relinquished.

Ben Dundee hasn’t won over fences since 2018 but it was a major return to form when narrowly denied in Leopardstown’s Paddy Power Chase at Christmas. The form of that race has already been boosted with the likes of Death Duty and Birchdale coming out and winning two big field, valuable handicaps since.

That could be the form to focus on and the British handicapper has only nudged him up 1lb higher than his revised Irish mark. He looks like an each-way player at around 16-1.

Prairie Dancer - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Later on the card, Gaelic Warrior has been all the rage but it’s hard to enthuse about his chance at his current odds and he makes the market for an each-way alternative.

There are plenty of improvers in this line-up, as one would expect for a juvenile handicap hurdle but Prairie Dancer caught the eye in a fairly big way when chasing home a Triumph contender in Icare Allen last time out.

There’s certainly room for improvement in the jumping department with Joseph O’Brien’s (pictured) charge and his jumping put him on the back foot at Fairyhouse last time when shuffled back from the box seat. However, he was a big eyecatcher, finishing quickly and he would have got closer to the winner without significant interference at the last.

His best form on the Flat was on better ground, so he could improve for what should be a quicker surface at Cheltenham and there’s plenty of upside to him at around 18-1.