Tag Archive for: Cheltenham Festival

Conflated ‘more likely’ to go straight to Cheltenham for Gold Cup tilt

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Conflated is likely to head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup where he will be given the chance to become Gigginstown House Stud’s third winner of the blue riband.

The Gordon Elliott-trained nine-year-old announced himself as a player in the staying division when causing a shock in last year’s Irish Gold Cup but instead of taking part in the Friday feature when running at Prestbury Park a month later, he dropped back in trip for the Ryanair Chase where he was a late faller in pursuit of the winner Allaho.

Returned to staying trips he was second to Clan Des Obeaux in the Bowl at Aintree and built on his Down Royal reappearance behind Envoi Allen to once again rule the roost at Leopardstown when brushing aside Kemboy by five lengths in the Savills Chase over the Christmas period.

That looked to tee up a defence of his Irish Gold Cup crown at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival, and although set to be given the option of that Grade One contest, connections appear to be siding towards heading to the Cheltenham Festival fresh – where he is a best price of 14-1 with Sky Bet to taste Gold Cup success.

“We’re probably veering towards heading straight to Cheltenham,” said Eddie O’Leary, racing manager for owners Gigginstown House Stud.

“It will be down to Gordon, but I imagine we’ll be going straight there.

“He will get the entry for Leopardstown and we will see how he is. I imagine it is more likely we will go straight to Cheltenham than run at Leopardstown, but we will see what the ground and everything else is like and make a decision then.”

Leopardstown Christmas Festival – Day Three – Leopardstown Racecourse
Jockey Jack Kennedy celebrates with trainer Gordon Elliott and owner Michael O’Leary and his wife Anita Farrell after winning the Savills Chase on Conflated during day three of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival (Niall Carson/PA)

On his Cheltenham chances, O’Leary continued: “Is he good enough to win a Gold Cup? I do not know. Will he get the chance to prove it? He definitely will.

“I suppose it’s quite hard to believe it (he is good enough), like he won very well (in the Savills Chase) but is the second good enough to feature in a Gold Cup? You would doubt it.

“There’s a horse called Galopin Des Champs in the way, who looks to be very good.”

Hanlon ‘couldn’t be happier’ with stable star Hewick

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Shark Hanlon is dreaming of huge prizes in the spring with his stable star Hewick.

Hewick was one of the sport’s most popular success stories last year, winning the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown and the Galway Plate before exiting at the final fence when looking poised to land the Kerry National.

He then headed out to Far Hills in New Jersey to win the American Grand National.

The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup in March has long been booked in as the target for his seasonal return – but Hanlon also explained of equal importance will be a bid for the Randox Grand National at Aintree.

“Without a doubt he’ll go for the National, that’s my plan,” Hanlon said.

“I’m going to give him no run before the Gold Cup and the Gold Cup will put him right for the National.

Shark Hanlon's Hewick
Shark Hanlon’s Hewick (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I’m not saying he’s not going to be trained for the Gold Cup, but he’s a summer horse and he had a busy enough year last year and he wants good ground.

“He’ll go straight for the Gold Cup and the National then.”

Hewick is likely to find himself near the top of the weights at Aintree, but Hanlon notes that his weight-carrying Kerry National run was scuppered by a fall rather than by the horse folding under the 11st 12lbs burden he was allocated.

He said: “I don’t think weight bothers the horse, you go back to the Kerry National and everyone said he had no chance because he was giving a stone, a stone and a half to everything.

“He was unlucky, he fell and if it wasn’t for that he would have won. I’m not worried about weight.”

Hewick winning the Galway Plate
Hewick winning the Galway Plate (Niall Carson/PA)

Hanlon is similarly unconcerned by the step up in trip that the National represents as he feels the horse will only improve when tasked with running over a longer distance.

“The best run he had last year was the bet365 and that’s three and a half miles,” he said.

“The further he goes, the better, he’s a great cruising speed and he doesn’t stop.”

Hewick has done little other than improve throughout his career so far, but Hanlon – who will also run recent acquisition Cape Gentleman in the National – believes there is more to come and that the gelding returned from America in better condition than ever.

“We left him in America for 17 or 18 days because the weather over there was beautiful, he was out in the field every day and back in at night,” he said.

Hewick with connections at Sandown
Hewick with connections at Sandown (Nigel French/PA)

“When he came home to me he was 40 kilos heavier than he was going over there, he’s definitely come back the strongest he’s ever been.

“I couldn’t be happier, he’s been ridden out the last 10 days at home and I think he’s after improving.

“If he improves seven or eight pounds, he’s entitled to be in the Gold Cup and he’s entitled to be in the Grand National – that’s the way I’m looking at it.”

National hero Noble Yeats being aimed at famous big-race double

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Emmet Mullins has an eye on a famous Gold Cup-Grand National double with reigning Aintree hero Noble Yeats.

Still only an eight-year-old, the bay may have been pulled up on his seasonal debut at Auteuil in October, but convincing wins in Wexford’s Listed M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase and in particular Aintree’s Many Clouds Chase have put him in the frame for the Boodles Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

A visit to Lingfield will come first as Mullins is targeting the Fleur De Lys Chase at the Winter Million meeting on Sunday week – after which all roads will lead to Cheltenham for the sport’s blue riband event.

“All going well we’re heading for Lingfield, that’s the plan at the moment,” the County Carlow trainer said.

“Maybe half the reason we’re going to Lingfield is so we don’t have to take on Willie (Mullins) and Gordon (Elliott) here. We pick and choose our races I think fairly well and try to get the most out of them.

“The Many Clouds slotted in nicely and we’ll keep tipping away without showing our hand until the day that matters.”

A Randox Grand National defence is still in the works, however, with the Robert Waley-Cohen-owned gelding aiming to emulate Golden Miller and L’Escargot as the only two horses to have won both the Gold Cup and the Grand National.

Emmet Mullins points the way at his County Carlow base
Emmet Mullins points the way at his County Carlow base (The Jockey Club)

“The Gold Cup was on the radar for this year from the get-go. It was definitely on the agenda. We spoke with the Waley-Cohens and all going well he was going to be aimed for the Gold Cup and try to come back for the Grand National afterwards,” Mullins said.

“I definitely wouldn’t rule him out of the Gold Cup. It’s a stayer’s race and I can compare him to something like Hedgehunter, who won the Grand National and was second in a Gold Cup afterwards. I think he can be there or thereabouts.

“We’re still heading for the National and I suppose after our performance in the Many Clouds in Aintree, we won’t be looked after too well in the weights, but I think a horse like him grows in that scenario and I can’t see any reason why we shouldn’t fancy our chances going back again.”

Noble Yeats crossing the line at Aintree
Noble Yeats crossing the line at Aintree (Steven Paston/PA)

He added: “I hadn’t realised until I heard over the weekend that only two horses have won the Gold Cup and the Grand National. I suppose it adds to it, but I’ll be blocking that out anyway.

“Lucky for me and the horse it won’t register with us!”

Lewis looks to Festival novice events with Straw Fan Jack

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Sheila Lewis will send Straw Fan Jack straight to the Cheltenham Festival with both the Turners Novices’ Chase and the Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy on the Brecon trainer’s radar.

Straw Fan Jack has won two of his three starts over fences for owner Graham Wilson, including taking the scalp of Gordon Elliott’s Ash Tree Meadow when landing the two-mile squareintheair.com Novices’ Chase under Sean Houlihan at Cheltenham in October.

The grey then had his colours lowered by Frere D’Armes in the Fulke Walwyn Trophy at Newbury the following month, finishing a five-and-a-half-length fourth in that limited handicap, conceding weight all round in the extended two-mile contest.

Lewis, who gained fame in October 2020 when saddling a three-timer while also running a beauty salon, decided to bypass the Tingle Creek at Sandown with her eight-year-old stable star, who is as short as 40-1 with BetVictor for the Arkle and has been introduced at 66-1 with Paddy Power for the two-and-a-half-mile Turners.

Lewis said: “I think we will just go straight to Cheltenham. We will enter him in a couple of novice chases and maybe a handicap.

“He seems to run really well when he’s fresh. We will probably enter him for the Arkle. Maybe that is a big ask, I don’t know.

“He won at Ffos Las and he was an Irish pointer, so he jumps well and then we took him to Cheltenham while he was on his game and thought if there was any chance he would win at Cheltenham, it would be at that October meeting, as some of the big ones had not come out yet.

“He ran a really great race there and then we took him to Newbury and I think two miles there was a little bit quick. He probably needs further than two miles on a flatter track.

“On a stiff Cheltenham two miles, he can get outpaced, but then he comes back at them and outstays them.

“If it was good to soft or soft at Cheltenham, you’d take your chance, but he is just better on good ground.

“The Turners is probably more on the radar at the moment, but you’d look at the Arkle. I don’t think he’s good enough to beat Jonbon, but sometimes the race cuts up and just to have a runner and to be placed would be brilliant. He’s got the track experience, which helps.”

The son of Geordieland is very much the flagbearer for the yard which Lewis describes as “a work in progress”.

She laughed: “My husband said that if I have to put any more stables up for you, I’m divorcing you!”

Yet stable stalwart and fellow grey Volcano has won five times over fences and the nine-year-old heads to Warwick on Saturday for the Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase, having been placed in two Ludlow handicaps on his most recent starts.

Volcano returns to his favourite track on Saturday
Volcano returns to his favourite track on Saturday (Tim Goode/PA)

Crucially, he has won four of his five chases at his favourite track and Lewis is praying for rain for the 115-rated son of Martaline.

“He is bottom weight and he just comes to life there,” said Lewis. “He is in great form and the race is over three miles and five (furlongs), which he has won over at Warwick before.

“We hope the rain arrives to get the benefit of being bottom weight. Soft ground may slow the others up a bit. In soft ground he is probably a 125-rated horse.”

Epatante ‘still a possible’ for Mares’ Hurdle after Henderson mistake

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Nicky Henderson believes Epatante must be treated as “still a possible runner” in the Mares’ Hurdle – despite her not featuring among the initial entries for the Cheltenham Festival contest.

The winner of the Champion Hurdle in 2020 before placing behind Honeysuckle the following two years, Epatante has been given the option of a third crack at stablemate Constitution Hill as one of 17 to put their name in the hat for the Unibet Champion Hurdle on March 14.

But Henderson admitted she should also have been given an entry for the mares-only Grade One 40 minutes later on the opening day card and is keen to point out the supplementary system gives her just as much chance of lining-up in that contest as the Champion Hurdle – and therefore should still be considered as a potential runner for betting purposes

He said: “She should have been entered, she was meant to be entered and as far as everyone is concerned she is still a possible runner because she can be supplemented.

“She should have been entered, it was my mistake, which is embarrassing.

“She is still a possible runner in the Mares’ Hurdle. Just because she is not in it, doesn’t mean she can’t run in it and she has got as much chance of running in it this afternoon as she had this morning.”

He continued: “The supplementary system is very good and she can still be supplemented, therefore she should be considered as an entry in my opinion. It’s my mistake and I apologise, but she should not be excluded from the betting in the Mares’ Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson and Epatante during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire
Nicky Henderson and Epatante during the visit to Nicky Henderson’s yard at Seven Barrows in Lambourn, Berkshire (Tim Goode/PA)

“Now I have no idea what race the intention of running in is, she should have been entered in both and she will run in one of the two, god willing. I can’t say which it will be because we don’t know and we wouldn’t know even if she had the entries for both races.

“But she must be considered as if she has been entered (for the Mares’), because we can supplement her at the five-day stage and we will do so if that is the race we want.”

Henderson, who is the Champion Hurdle’s leading trainer, could also be represented by Gerry Feilden winner First Street in the opening day feature while the Seven Barrows handler’s only other possible for the Mares’ Hurdle is defending champion Marie’s Rock, who is the current market leader at a best price of 5-2.

Lavelle backing Paisley Park to close gap with Flooring Porter

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Paisley Park is reported to be in “great order” ahead of a fifth run in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Emma Lavelle’s stable star won the Paddy Power-backed Thursday feature in 2019 and his name was among the 28 possible runners for the contest when the entries were released on Tuesday.

Last seen defying the tight turns of Kempton when landing the rearranged Long Walk Hurdle on Boxing Day, the 11-year-old will attempt to win the Dahlbury Stallions At Chapel Stud Cleeve Hurdle for a fourth time on January 28 as he completes his on-track Festival preparations.

And his trainer is proud to see him still competing at the highest level despite his advancing years.

“It just goes to show that you should never pigeonhole Paisley and I couldn’t have been happier with him on a track (Kempton) that probably doesn’t play to his strengths,” said Lavelle.

“I was very proud that he’s still winning at that level as a 10-year-old.

“Touch wood, he’s in great order – good, fresh and well and he’ll go to the Cleeve Hurdle first and the Stayers’ Hurdle is his big aim as ever. He’ll do one more piece of work on the grass next week (ahead of the Cleeve) but he’s in good form.”

Paisley Park has finished placed behind Gavin Cromwell’s hat-trick seeking Flooring Porter in the past two years, but Lavelle has hopes of a reversal this time.

Jockey Aidan Coleman (right) in the parade ring after winning the Long Walk Hurdle on Paisley Park at Kempton on Boxing Day
Jockey Aidan Coleman (right) in the parade ring after winning the Long Walk Hurdle on Paisley Park at Kempton on Boxing Day (John Walton/PA)

On turning the tables with the defending champion, she continued: “I certainly hope so – I do think so far this year that he has been performing better than last year and if he can keep that up, I’d like to think we’ll be finishing closer or hopefully in front of him.”

The Paddy Power market is dominated by Irish-trained entries with Flooring Porter heading the betting at 5-1 and closely followed by Joseph O’Brien’s Christmas Hurdle scorer Home By The Lee and Willie Mullins’ Klassical Dream.

The latter is one of eight for the Closutton handler with the possible Mullins runners including the Rich Ricci-owned pair of Chacun Pour Soi and Monkfish and last year’s Ballymore winner Sir Gerhard.

Charles Byrnes won the race with Solwhit in 2013 and could be represented by Blazing Khal, while the shortest-priced British-trained entry is Nicky Henderson’s Marie’s Rock, despite last year’s Mares’ Hurdle champion most likely to defend her title over shorter on the Tuesday of the Festival.

However, one whose name was missing from the list of entries is Seven Barrows stablemate Champ, who will bypass Prestbury Park in favour of a trip to Merseyside.

“Champ is on a little break so he won’t be running at Cheltenham,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus.

“He will be freshened up for Aintree, that is the plan with him.”

Buzz given Cheltenham entry as he continues on comeback trail

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Buzz has been handed a tentative entry for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival as he continues his recovery from a pelvis injury.

Nicky Henderson’s dual-purpose star has won five times for owners Thurloe Thoroughbreds since being bought out of Hughie Morrison’s yard, capturing the racing public’s attention when landing both the Cesarewitch and Ascot Hurdle in quick succession in 2021.

That set up the Motivator gelding for a tilt at the Long Walk Hurdle, but he suffered a fractured pelvis a day before the race and has been on the comeback trail ever since.

Although still in the very early stages of his training at Henderson’s Seven Barrows base, he has been given the option of competing in the Thursday feature at the Festival and James Stafford of owners Thurloe Thoroughbreds says it is a race they will think about if the nine-year-old gives the right signals.

He said: “He’s going through his very early paces. The entry stage was this morning so we had to make the entry for Cheltenham.

“It doesn’t mean Buzz is back, we hope he’s back, but if you are not in today you have no chance of running.

“It’s an entry, which if he tells us in the next two to three weeks he’s getting better, then we will think about it.”

Buzz will have been off the track for over 450 days if returning at Prestbury Park and Stafford believes the horse deserves that opportunity having been the model patient during his recovery.

“It would be fantastic to see him back as he has been the most marvellous patient and has done everything asked along the way,” he continued.

Buzz ridden by jockey Nico de Boinville (left) clear a fence on their way to winning the Coral Hurdle (Registered As The Ascot Hurdle) in 2021
Buzz ridden by jockey Nico de Boinville (left) clear a fence on their way to winning the Coral Hurdle (Registered As The Ascot Hurdle) in 2021 (Nigel French/PA)

“He deserves to come back for the effort, he as a horse, has put into his own well-being. There has been masses of loving people around him who have done a marvellous job helping, but he has been a massive help to himself, which is three-quarters of the battle.”

A percentage of the prize-money earned by Buzz has been donated to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, a factor Stafford thinks is another reason for his popularity.

He added: “The cancer charity link has captured the imagination, he has won a Cesarewitch and a Grade Two and he’s grey. So there’s lots to love about him and he’s a trier – he will never give up for you.”

Supreme engagement on the cards for L’Astroboy

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Evan Williams could target the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival with L’Astroboy, who outran his odds to finish runner-up to Tahmuras in the Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.

Adam Wedge’s mount, who had won a bumper at Ffos Las, beating Tahmuras by a neck on his debut in February, went into the Grade One contest on the back of a maiden hurdle success on the same Welsh track in November.

Sent off a 16-1 chance for the two-mile contest, the William and Angela Rucker-owned L’Astroboy stayed on under pressure to take the runner-up spot, some two and a half lengths behind the winner.

The six-year-old Kasmin gelding has taken the race well, according to his Llancarfan handler.

Williams said: “The horse ran well. We took a bit of a punt running in a race like that but I’ve no complaints whatsoever.

“He has run a very solid race. He still looked a work in progress in many aspects. You could only take positives out of it. You couldn’t in any shape or form be negative at all.”

With favourite Authorised Speed soon beaten and Irish raider Arctic Bresil pulled up, some were quick to crab the form of the eight-runner contest, which was run in soft ground.

“It was funny,” said Williams. “Before the race, everyone said what a good race it was. So, I read all these reports before the race about how hot a race it was, then I read the reports after saying what a poor race it was.

“So, what I am going to do, as always, is leave it to the experts in the press!”

Though L’Astroboy could take on Tahmuras again in the Sky Bet-sponsored Supreme on March 14, Williams is keen to let the dust settle before making any decision.

“I haven’t got a plan,” he added. “It was very sporting of the owners to have a crack at a Grade One after winning two races at Ffos Las.

“We are genuinely delighted with him and genuinely delighted with how he has come out of the race.

“I don’t think we will get too fixated on anything. We have got loads of options. He will be entered at Cheltenham in the two-mile race.

“I wouldn’t think we will go further at this stage, although he looks like he will stay further down the line. We will see if the experts are correct in their assumptions.

“I’m very lucky in that I have never, ever listened to anybody else’s opinion, I’ve only ever listened to mine – it has always served me well down the years!”

Flooring Porter taking direct path for Stayers’ Hurdle defence

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Flooring Porter will head straight to the Cheltenham Festival, with Gavin Cromwell retaining plenty of faith in his stable star ahead of his bid for a third successive Stayers’ Hurdle.

Danny Mullins expertly steered the enigmatic son of Yeats to glory in the Paddy Power-backed Grade One in both 2021 and 2022 and Flooring Porter is the 5-1 favourite with the sponsors to defend the title once again and join Big Buck’s and Inglis Drever in the select band of horses to win the race three or more times.

However, he will head to Prestbury Park without a win to his name this season, having followed up a somewhat below-par reappearance at Navan by finishing fourth, beaten just under four lengths, in Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The eight-year-old has headed straight to the Festival having finished first and second in that Grade One event previously and Cromwell is keen to follow the same route, certain his charge will once again be a key figure in Cheltenham’s Thursday feature if taking a step forward.

“He’s fine and we will try the same again, straight there is the plan,” said Cromwell.

Reflecting on his Christmas Hurdle run, Cromwell added: “I suppose we didn’t get the result we were looking for, but he didn’t run a bad race. We were hoping he would have run a bit better, but he stayed galloping at the line.

“I suppose possibly Danny didn’t go fast enough, but it wasn’t a terrible run and if he can step forward from that we can be competitive at Cheltenham.

“It’s all about Cheltenham.”

Hosie eyeing Cheltenham return for Rock My Way

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Rock My Way is likely to return to Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day following his promising debut at Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day.

Recruited by owner/trainer Syd Hosie for £90,000 in November after winning a Castletown-Geoghegan point-to-point the previous month, the five-year-old produced an eye-catching display on his Rules bow.

Sent off a 66-1 outsider for the Ballymore Maiden Hurdle over an extended two and a half miles, the son of Getaway made a mockery of those long odds to press Nigel Twiston-Davies’ 5-4 favourite Weveallbeencaught all the way to the line.

With the winner well-regarded by connections and the front two pulling over 20 lengths clear of the rest of the field, Hosie was delighted to see his confidence in Rock My Way justified.

The Dorset-based handler is now hoping his charge can book his place in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival by coming through his next assignment in the Grade Two Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle on January 28 with flying colours.

“We were quite hopeful he would run a nice race, that’s why he went there,” said Hosie. “Sometimes when picking a race like that you think you could be in the wrong place, but he proved we weren’t, so that was good.

“When you get a nice one, you just have to look after them and we’re just making a plan for him. Tom (Scudamore) liked him so that is good news.

“There is the Ballymore race at the end of the month at Cheltenham. It is never normally that strong a race as people have already had their run or don’t want to run. We may as well stick to that sort of company and if he can be competitive there, we can go up in trip for the Albert Bartlett.”

Hosie also feels there should be more to come from a horse he believes has plenty of star quality.

He added: “He’s a big lad and scopey as well. He will definitely be the best looking horse we’ve had here and when he turned up, you could see he was just a bit of a different class.

“He just gallops and gallops at home and I did think it might almost be a bit sharp for him on debut. He just bumped into a good one and I guess you could think we will go where they go because we think ours is the same sort of quality as Nigel’s.

“We didn’t do a lot with him before the race to be honest. We bought him at Cheltenham in November, brought him back home and didn’t do an awful lot with him. I just thought he looks fresh, he was really well at home, so let’s run him. Now he’s gone and done that, we know we have something to work with. Hopefully look out on January 28.”

The Sandhills Farm handler also provided an update Lieutenant Rocco ahead of his outing at Taunton on Monday.

The eight-year-old won twice as a novice hurdler when trained by Colin Tizzard in his formative years, while he added a novice chase victory under the stewardship of Nick Mitchell in 2021.

Lieutenant Rocco is set to run at Taunton on Monday
Lieutenant Rocco is set to run at Taunton on Monday (PA)

The Shirocco gelding will now attempt to score for the first time with Hosie as trainer in the Stables Business Park Handicap Hurdle.

“He’s coming along nicely and is going to have a blast out at Taunton on Monday just to get his fitness back,” said the Sherborne trainer.

“He’s had his problems but we’ve got him back and now he’s getting older, it just takes longer to get him fit. He’s a big, big horse – we feed him as much as he wants but then we have to train it off!

“It would be nice to get a win into him and I’ve never trained him to win myself.

“He probably had hard races as a novice chaser. If you look at his form, he’s finished ahead of Chantry House and just behind Fusil Raffles at Cheltenham and he was not far behind Protektorat in the Dipper when the race was held at Wincanton. The ability is in there, it is just eking it all out.

“We’re looking forward to running him and I would love to get him back to Cheltenham and try to get him back there for the Ultima. But he needs to probably go up a few pounds now.”