"I’m not supposed to be here."

That was Declan Queally’s response when asked about his win in the Ballymore Novice Hurdle at Naas Friday last and looking at the recent winners of the race, one can see where he was coming from. Since the race was upgraded to Grade 1 status in 2015, it has been dominated by the big two, Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott winning five times apiece, Henry de Bromhead taking the race once.

Those big yards have been similarly dominant with placed runners in the race in that period too, only three trainers outside those major players managing a place in the previous 11 years. I’ll Sort That was racing against recent history but also his yard going through a quiet time, their last winner being I’ll Sort That himself in the For Auction on November 17th.

That quiet period was less to do with winners than actual runners, as there was radio silence from the yard for nearly a month, just two runners between November 27th and December 27th, while December itself saw Queally have the lowest number of runners in month (nine) since back in August 2024.

The race itself was one where a low sun meant hurdles being bypassed, four of the 11 intended obstacles left out, which makes it difficult form to assess. Races like this don’t seem particularly repeatable, coming only at certain times of the year, and the chances are that any individual horse might only run in one or two of them in their careers.

All sorted

Obstacles are bypassed at different parts of the race at different tracks, and it is hard to know when they are more significant. With this in mind, I am often bemused at how connections, typically of beaten horses, can be so dogmatic that their runners were better than the form or might even have won.

Perhaps I’ll Sort That was suited by the absence of hurdles having not always been fluent, but the hurdles being included could have led to more of a stamina test which would play to his strengths, I am not sure. Otherwise, the race was straightforward to assess, the winner building the pace throughout and burning them off gradually, the outsiders being the first beaten until only the favourite Sortudo was left to challenge.

Sortudo may have been given a bit to do but seemed to have every chance having got to the winner halfway up the straight. The case that he could reverse form with I’ll Sort That comes more from his profile than anything that happened here. He looked a good bumper horse last season without being a star, beaten on his second, third and fourth starts, but was improving gradually and produced a peak effort on his final run of the season. He might be one that gets better as the season goes on.

Outside of the front two, the third Fruit De Mer looked in need of further, even given the strong pace, while the fourth Switch From Diesel was the opposite. She travelled into the race nicely from rear and looked booked for third halfway up the straight but failed to get home.

Market mysteries

The market was a final interesting aspect of the race. Saint Baco was notably weak in the betting despite being the mount of Paul Townend. He ran accordingly with no major excuses beyond racing a little keen while perhaps the one that was strongest in the betting, Classical Creek, was similarly disappointing. He was sent off a well-backed second favourite but was beaten 51 lengths, his head carriage unconvincing in the finish.

The best performance outside the Grade 1 at Naas came from Flicker Of Hope in the extended three-mile novice chase, a new race this season. His time compared well with the two other chases on the card as they covered covered the distance from the first in the two-mile handicap chase later on the card 4.4 seconds faster than those horses, most of that coming from three out which takes a bit of doing given he was running over more than a mile further.

Mark Fahey’s seven-year-old did everything right, his jumping assured as he travelled well before arriving at the second last to find plenty to win. He was conceding 8lb to an in-form, 138-rated rival so the form looks solid and while there is a concern that he will find his ceiling up in grade, he is a particularly likeable type that has been well placed throughout his career so should be able to win again.

THE going for Punchestown on Sunday was yielding when declarations were made, but subsequent rain changed that to soft-to-heavy during racing, and some of the jockeys in the chases seemed to be riding to the stale description, going too hard in front, the pace collapsing late.

That was the case in the lower grade races, though they also went a strong clip in the Grade 3 novice chase where the tactics on two of the Gigginstown runners were hard to fathom. The Enabler wants further than this shortened two and a half miles and needs a test at this trip but, even so, it was strange that he pressed the well-backed Predators Gold so hard in the lead for much of the race.

Predators Gold eventually won that battle though it came at a cost, his patchy jumping not helping, and while he briefly went clear after two out, he was swallowed up late by a pair of closers. The pace set-up was not ideal, but it was disappointing that he couldn’t deliver on strong market support and he is now 0/5 in graded races.

The winner, Kappy Jy Pyke, might be an underrated sort. This is the second time in two chase starts he has beaten a better fancied stablemate, and both wins came in similar style, ridden with restraint before pouncing late. He looked more of a two-miler last season, but won this going away, so perhaps intermediate trips suit him best now, though with that in mind there may not be in ideal race for him at Cheltenham.

Substandard

The Grade 2 Moscow Flyer looked a substandard race, the field of three the smallest this century. Road Exile was strong in the market, though that may have more a by-product of the weakness in the Willie Mullins-trained pair, but he hated every moment of this, finding two miles around this sharp track all against him.

He might have been better suited by the Ballymore at Naas two days previous yet was beaten just five and a half lengths which weakens the form. The winner, Sober, was coming into the race off an unusual preparation, his last run at Royal Ascot and before that a Killarney maiden hurdle win where he hurdled poorly, and his jumping was again ordinary here.

Yet he came there powerfully at the last to win easily and should improve for this run and better ground. He is on the older side for a novice hurdler as a seven-year-old with plenty of flat racing done, so it remains to be seen if his jumping will sharpen up, but the engine is certainly there.