Tag Archive for: Paul Nolan

Nolan rules Aintree out for Sandor Clegane

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Paul Nolan has ruled Sandor Clegane out of an immediate Aintree rematch with his Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle conqueror Stay Away Fay.

There were few stronger finishers at Cheltenham than the strapping six-year-old, who flew home from an impossible position to finish a length and a quarter behind the Paul Nicholls-trained winner.

A smart bumper performer, finishing second to Facile Vega at last year’s Dublin Racing Festival, he relished the step up in trip at Punchestown in November when sauntering to a 12-length maiden hurdle win.

Given a couple of months off, he returned in the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, where he finished third to Good Land.

Sandor Clegane appeared to improve again at Cheltenham, despite suffering little luck in running before powering up the hill under Sean O’Keeffe.

Nolan is in no rush to map out immediate plans, however.

He said: “He ran a stormer. We expected him to. I knew he was better than he was at Leopardstown.

“I know we can’t keep going on about it, but I thought he was a little bit unlucky. He didn’t get much luck in running.

“He got shuffled back to last nearly twice and he just wasn’t lucky, yet was only beaten a length.

“He flew up the hill and made more ground up than anything in the race.”

A tall, scopey individual, Sandor Clegane would appear to have a bright future, but Nolan is prepared to bide his time with the Kay Browne and Anne Coffey-owned gelding.

He added: “We will see the way he goes. He is on a wee break now. We won’t make any rash decisions on whether he will run again this season.

“He is only six, but at the end of the day he is born to run.

“We haven’t rushed him this season. We haven’t over-faced him. We had a plan and stuck to it.

“Unfortunately, it so nearly went our way at Cheltenham, but it just didn’t work out.”

Horse Racing – Hennessy Gold Cup – Leopardstown Racecourse
Paul Nolan (right) hoping there will be big days to come from Sandor Clegane (Niall Carson/PA)

Any thoughts of taking on Stay Away Fay or his River Don Hurdle conqueror Maximilian in the Cavani Menswear Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree were scotched by Enniscorthy handler.

“He definitely won’t go to Aintree,” said Nolan. “Punchestown would be the one place he’ll go if that happens, but I won’t make a call on that yet.

“He’s huge – he’s 17 hands and is bigger than you think. That’s why we hope he’ll get stronger. I was happy enough he’d improved going into Cheltenham, but for 10 horses to pull up in a Grade One, it shows you what a rough race that was.

“I think there is more to come, but you can’t keep saying this that and the other, and I’m not going to come out with the cliché that he’ll be better over a fence and all that. You live in the present, but we’re hopeful he will improve.”

Nolan anticipating Festival improvement from Sandor Clegane

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Paul Nolan is quietly confident Sandor Clegane will improve for his run behind Good Land at Leopardstown and be a major player in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham next month.

The six-year-old had previously landed a Punchestown maiden hurdle by 12 lengths.

Following a two-month break, he ran Good Land to four and a half lengths in the two-and-three-quarter-mile Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors “50,000 Cheltenham Bonus For Stable Staff” Novice Hurdle.

Nolan feels the six-year-old will relish the additional quarter of a mile in the Albert Bartlett and should line up on March 17 as a live prospect.

“I hope he’d have a good chance,” said Nolan. “I thought he ran well and while I was very pleased with the run, I think there’s better to come.

“He jumped a little bit big and I’m just hoping that, even though jumping big you’re not making a mistake, it is still not an asset. You are still giving away a quarter of a length a couple of times.

“I’d be confident and hoping you’ll see a better horse in a month’s time.”

Bookmakers were suitably impressed by his third-placed effort behind Good Land – who is not entered in the Albert Bartlett – making Sandor Clegane a general 10-1 chance for the three-mile event.

“I think he needs to be a little bit slicker over his hurdles. Maybe the ground was a factor. I don’t want to blame too many things, as at the end of the day we were beaten by a better horse,” Nolan added.

“Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m just hoping there’s more improvement to come in our fella.

“Whatever Gordon (Elliott), Willie (Mullins) and Paul Nicholls and all them lads decide which direction they take with their horses, I’m happy enough with my fella.

“Hopefully he will be a horse that will travel over OK. No matter what, travelling is another ordeal and is not an asset.”

HMS Seahorse setting sail for Coral Cup challenge

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HMS Seahorse is being primed for a raid on the Coral Cup, following an impressive success at Navan.

The Paul Nolan-trained five-year-old showed good form last season, finishing third behind Vauban in the Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown in April, having previously been fourth in the Fred Winter at the Cheltenham Festival.

Given a break after finishing down the field in the Irish Cesarewitch in September, he relished the step up to two and a half miles when reappearing over hurdles last month, scoring with ease in soft ground – on his first start since a gelding operation.

“He was good at Navan,” said Nolan. “He looked like he stayed well and I think he’s a horse who is in no way ground dependent.

“He seems to be able to handle it every way and I’m hoping the improvement has come from him being gelded.

“There are times when it doesn’t make any difference at all, but this fella definitely seems to have improved for it.”

A son of Galileo, he holds an entry in Sunday’s Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Exeter, although his Enniscorthy handler says he is unlikely to travel.

“He’s got 4lb more with the English handicapper, but it’s more than likely we won’t go to Exeter,” added Nolan. “It has just given us more of an idea of where we stand. It is useful to know.

“I’d say more than likely we will go to the Coral Cup. It is just stepping up an extra furlong and we found out more about him last time.

“He won a mile-and-a-half handicap on summer soft ground at the Curragh, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way – you can look like a stayer on the Flat, but there are times you might not stay two and a half or three miles over hurdles, but with him stepping him up in trip is definitely an asset.”

No anchoring HMS Seahorse at Navan

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HMS Seahorse made a stylish return to action in the Navan Handicap Hurdle, putting himself in the frame for the Cheltenham Festival in the process.

The five-year-old finished fourth in the Fred Winter at Prestbury Park last term before claiming a distant third upped to Grade One level at the Punchestown Festival, but he had been off the track since finishing down the field in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh in September, having been gelded in the interim.

Sent off a 15-2 shot in the hands of Sean O’Keeffe, HMS Seahorse was settled on the heels of the leaders on the rail in the two-and-half-mile heat as 11-4 favourite Lucky Max set out to make all.

The market leader gave a bold sight and was still in front jumping the last, but HMS Seahorse was travelling well in behind and swept through to grab the lead on the run to the line.

Paul Nolan’s runner went on to score by two and a quarter lengths from Felix Desjy, with Rebel Ivy a further neck back in third.

Paddy Power make HMS Seahorse a 12-1 shot for the Coral Cup, while also offering 20-1 about his chances in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle and the County Hurdle – although the first event listed could be the preferred choice for connections.

“He gave him a brilliant ride. Sean said he came for him every time he asked him,” said Nolan.

“He needed to jump the last and he was long at it. He seems to be jumping far better since he was gelded.

“In Galway he jumped poorly when he was odds-on favourite and the jumping just didn’t work.

“He’s a bit more clinical now, he’d never go long before and he was very good today.

“We might look at the Coral Cup with him. That’s where the lads would love to go.

“We’d have to look at a Pertemps qualifier as well, it would be great to have more options, but that might be tight enough.”

Joyeux Machin ready to step up in Challow challenge

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Joyeux Machin will carry Irish hopes against red-hot favourite Hermes Allen in the Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday.

Hermes Allen is all the rage to provide trainer Paul Nicholls with a fifth victory in the Grade One contest, having previously struck gold with Cornish Rebel (2003), Denman (2006), Bravemansgame (2020), and Stage Star (2021).

A £350,000 purchase from the Irish point-to-point field, Hermes Allen won by 27 lengths on his hurdling debut at Stratford before following up in a Grade Two at Cheltenham last month.

The Paul Nolan-trained Joyeux Machin, who chased home potential superstar Facile Vega last Christmas before going one better in a bumper at Navan in January, could only finish third on his hurdling debut at Wexford in October – but upped his game to open his account at Fairyhouse four weeks ago.

Nolan appreciates his charge faces a far stiffer task this weekend, but is hopeful the step up from two to an extended two and a half miles will bring about further improvement.

He said: “Hopefully they won’t get as much rain as forecast – the less rain there is the better for us. We’ve committed to going now, so on we go and hopefully we can have a good run.

“He went to the line well in Fairyhouse. I think the way he went to the line over two means the step up in trip won’t be an inconvenience anyway.

“He had a hold-up before Wexford and with the ground being a little bit good, we couldn’t really get a gallop in on grass. We thought he’d improve from there to Fairyhouse and hopefully he has the potential to improve again – he’ll have to.”

Attacca (right) on his way to winning at Cheltenham
Attacca (right) on his way to winning at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)

Hermes Allen and Joyeux Machin are just two of 14 runners declared, with Dan Skelton’s 17-length Hereford scorer Vicki Vale and Nicky Henderson’s dual winner Attacca two other leading contenders.

Crambo puts his unbeaten record on the line for Fergal O’Brien, who also saddles the experienced Accidental Rebel as well as Marble Sands, while Thomas Mor is two from two for David Pipe.

Joyeux Machin is joined on the trip across the Irish Sea by Gordon Elliott’s Kansas City Star, while the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Idalko Bihoue and You Wear It Well from Jamie Snowden’s yard also merit consideration.