Tag Archive for: Three Card Brag

Three Card Brag team looking forward to chasing campaign

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Connections are keen to take the positives from Three Card Brag’s fifth-placed finish in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.

Stepped up to three miles for the first time, the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old was sent off 4-1 second-favourite for the Grade One event on Gold Cup day.

However, despite travelling kindly throughout for Adrian Heskin and finding himself in a prime position to challenge as the protagonists rounded the home turn, Three Card Brag was unable to go on as the lung-busting scramble up the Cheltenham hill ensued and finished five and a half lengths adrift of the winner Stay Away Fay.

What might have been if the race had been run on any other day of the Festival will never be known – with drying conditions on the final day going against their charge. However, hopes are high he can return to Prestbury Park and make his mark at the big meeting in the future.

“He ran well and it was perhaps slightly frustrating he wasn’t in the first four,” said Iain Turner, racing manager for the McNeill family – who own Three Card Brag along with Patrick and Scott Bryceland.

“We were happy with Three Card and we probably couldn’t have done anything different with him.

“If there was a slight frustration it is you forget how quickly Cheltenham dries and we could have done with some of that ground they were going through on the Thursday. Some of that rain they were talking about for Thursday evening and Friday morning never really arrived.

Three Card Brag at Cheltenham
Three Card Brag at Cheltenham (Steven Paston/PA)

“He ran very well and with credit. Adrian was very happy with him over the three miles and said he felt an easier ride.

“Also promising, with the future in mind, is that he took the journey over and the travel well and then handled the track – everything which goes with a Festival race – which is all a positive for if we are to return in future seasons.”

Thoughts are already turning to next season and hopes are high Three Card Brag will rank high amongst the next cohort of novice chasers.

However, with both Aintree and Punchestown still to come, there is the possibility his novice hurdling endeavours are not fully finished, with a drop back to two and a half miles for the valuable Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final a tempting proposition during the Kildare venue’s five-day Festival next month.

“I don’t think you would be writing off going to either Punchestown or Aintree and he does have the option of dropping back in trip for the Red Mills Final which he qualified for at Galway right back at the beginning of the season,” said Turner.

“He still has the option of running in that race and there isn’t much difference in prize money between that and one of the graded races. But we will leave it up to Gordon. He came out of the race at Cheltenham fine and we’ll just see how he gets on over the next few weeks.

“If he doesn’t run again, he doesn’t owe us anything – he’s won a couple, placed in a couple of graded races then finished fifth at the Festival.

“He’s had a good season and we’re looking forward to novice chasing with him. He looks an exciting one for chasing next year, so fingers crossed he stays sound and then we’ve something to look forward to over fences.”

‘All systems go’ – Three Card Brag an ace to play for Elliott in Albert Bartlett

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Gordon Elliott’s Three Card Brag is expected to relish a step up in trip in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on Friday.

The six-year-old has had a productive season so far, winning on debut at Galway and then coming home third in a Grade Three novice hurdle at Navan in November – beaten just a length and a quarter.

Up in trip at Naas he then missed out by a neck in the Grade Two Navan Novice Hurdle, a race won by subsequent Supreme Novices’ Hurdle fourth Inthepocket.

Three Card Brag then headed to Fairyhouse to score a 12-length success in a January novice event, running like a horse that will thrive when asked to take on a longer distance.

“We’ve very happy with him, we’ve always thought the step up in trip would suit him,” said Iain Turner, racing manager to co-owners the McNeill family.

“We’ve not wanted to go there over three miles too early but we’ve always thought he’ll stay, his pedigree suggests he’ll stay and how he hits the line in his races suggests he’ll stay.

“It’s been the plan for a long time, he’s a chaser for next season but we think he’ll go very well – it’s all systems go.

“Early in the season at Navan, the ground was quicker than ideal and the trip was certainly shorter than ideal, but he still had the ability to finish third in a Graded race and he stepped up to finish second at Naas behind Inthepocket.

“While not winning, I still think Inthepocket performed with credit in the Supreme.

“We’re happy with how he’s gone, Gordon’s horses are looking and running well. He’s looked like our best chance of the week and he remains that way.”

Corbetts Cross holds a live chance for Grand National-winning trainer Emmet Mullins.

The six-year-old has run once for Mullins, winning the Johnstown Novice Hurdle by a head after changing hands having previously been successfully campaigned by Eugene O’Sullivan.

That race was a Grade Two event over nearly two miles at Naas and he will now step up to both Grade One level and a distance of three miles at Prestbury Park.

Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus, said: “Emmet seems very happy with him and we’re hoping for a bit of luck with him. It will be nice to see him and seeing how he gets on.

“We don’t know an awful lot and haven’t owned him that long, but Emmet seems to be really happy and he said he came out of the Naas race well and we’ve left it all up to Emmet.

“We’re looking forward to him and hope he runs well.”

Joseph O’Brien’s Dawn Rising runs in the same McManus silks, a six-year-old seen twice this season in two-and-a-half-mile novice hurdles.

The gelding was a winner in the Monksfield Novice Hurdle, a Grade Three at Navan, and then came home third in the Grade One Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle in early January.

Berry said: “It looks like he is going to love the trip and the ground and has done very little wrong.

“Joseph is very happy with him and we hope for a good run.”

Willie Mullins’ Embassy Gardens was most recently seen routing the field in a Thurles Novice in January, claiming a 35-length victory after prior placed runs in shorter-distances races.

Jockey Paul Townend said on his Ladbrokes blog: “He is an improving horse as he’s moved up in trip.

“The form of his win at Thurles isn’t the best form in the race but he was so impressive winning by 35 lengths that day.

“He seems to be going the right way and three miles around Cheltenham should be right up his street.

“I think he will give a good account of himself.”

Of stablemate Shanbally Kid, the rider added: “Shanbally Kid is one I tipped up as an each-way shot in the preview night.

“He has been getting his act together and the trip will suit him as will the New course.”