2:17 Thurles Tips

Laurets D'Estruval is backed by the formidable Mullins??'Townend partnership that has dominated this specific race in recent years. This French-bred gelding is a certified 'mud-lark,' whose best performances have come on heavy ground, including a very promising Irish debut at Limerick over Christmas where he finished a strong second in a massive field. He holds a significant class edge with a rating of 126, and the fact that he holds entries for multiple Grade 1 races at the Cheltenham Festival tells you exactly what the stable thinks of his engine. Expect him to be much sharper for his first Irish run. He has the physical scope to power through the testing conditions tomorrow and should prove far too good for this maiden field.

Le Labo won a bumper here and has been unfortunate hurdling this season. He was hampered and unseated at the first flight in his first hurdle race here. Then at Cork he took up the running before two out and was three lengths clear when falling at the last. He probably would have held on from the decent Kazansky, who has franked the form.

The 5-year-old is viewed as a strong contender with room for growth. He showed his capabilities finishing 3rd against more favoured competitors at Naas. This performance suggests he can hold his own in maiden races. He recently secured a commendable 2nd place over this C&D. This presents an excellent each-way chance at attractive odds of 11/1.