'Should Prove Hard To Stop' - Tips For Sunday's 4-year-old Maiden Hurdle at Wexford There's no shortage of racing action from across Ireland on this Bank Holiday weekend with Wexford and Galway racing on both Sunday and Monday. It’s jumps all the way at the southeast venue, and Sunday's card features eight races from 12.30-4.30. We're taking an in-depth look at the William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Maiden Hurdle over two-and-a-half-miles, with a field of 14 four-year-olds declared. William Hill Each Way Extra Challenge Series Maiden Hurdle Tips NAP: Open Secret Next Best: Keiths Boy Elliott's Open Secret worth noting Lots of these will be appearing on the racecourse proper for the first time. Not so the Gordon Elliott-trained OPEN SECRET, a gelded son of Cracksman that raced 12 times on the Flat for Charlie Johnston during 2024 and opened his account on the level at Redcar in this month last year. That win came over 1m6f on soft ground in Class 4 company as he comfortably held off the useful Gibside in second spot, Tim Easterby's charge a multiple winner since on the level. Open Secret disappointed next time at Kempton and was duly sold by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum. He returned to action in June for Matthew Smith and shaped well enough in runs at the Curragh (2m, good) and Galway (2m½f, soft) on the Flat, racing off marks in the high 70s. He was then moved to Elliott's care and debuted over timber at Navan (2m5f, yielding) last month. He was taking on older horses with jumping experience and did well in fourth as even-money favourite Eclipse Chase dominated for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend, with a couple of horses with three-figure ratings in behind. Open Secret didn't have the clearest of passages from the second-last but shaped promisingly on hurdle/stable debut. He looks capable of making an impact in this discipline and with normal first-to-second race improvement, should prove hard to stop now in amongst his own peer-group with Jordan Gainford taking over in the saddle for a Cullentra team in excellent form of late (24 per cent strike-rate entering the weekend). Keiths Boy can offer something The likes of Black Gem must improve while Gin Tonic, Jessbers Wish and Fairlander bring promise from the point-to-point field and will require close monitoring in the betting. KEITHS BOY is one who is entitled to respect after finishing third at Gowran Park (2m4f, yielding) on second start over hurdles earlier this month. He was stepped up in trip following a Listowel maiden last month and found some improvement under today's 7lb claimer. The Jet Away gelding had no answer late on as William Harvey's Durrow point winner Daydream Nation powered away from the field on Rules bow, but he wasn't beaten far for second and appeared to relish the step up in trip. Connections will be hoping there is no wide-margin scorer lurking here and, with further improvement possible, each-way claims are there to be seen for trainer Seamus Fahey. William Hill Betting Offer
