MARGARET MULLINS
DR WALLACE
5yo ch g (1)
Flemensfirth - Oscars Princess
P J Magnier & Ms Margaret Mullins
He is a lovely horse and he did it very well last Saturday at Navan. He has a bright future, but I’d say he won’t run over the Christmas and we’ll probably look for a winners bumper for him in the new year. He has come out of Navan very well and Patrick was very impressed with him.
MARTELLO TOWER
8yo b g (337-21)
Milan - Johnsalice
Barry Connell
He is in very good form and I’d say he’ll go for the three mile Grade 1 at Leopardstown (Neville Hotels Novice Chase). He was very good the last day and I’d say that he has come on a fair bit for that. It takes a good horse to win a beginners or a novice chase at the minute - they are very strong. He has won on all types of ground, but ideally he loves a good cut so the more rain the better. I couldn’t be happier with him. We won’t have that many runners over the Christmas, but it is nice to be heading to Leopardstown with a horse like him.
ALAN FLEMING
TULLY EAST
6yo b g (16164-1)
Shantou - Ghillie´s Bay
Barry Connell
He’ll go for the Grade 1 (Racing Post Novice Chase) on St Stephen’s Day at Leopardstown. He was very good at Thurles and it probably isn’t ideal having to go straight into a Grade 1, but that is the way the pattern is and there are very few winners’ races for him. He jumped well at Thurles and he has come out of that race in very good form. I would like to think that he will improve and I don’t think he’ll be out of place at Leopardstown.
ANDREW LYNCH
ZABANA
9yo ch g (314U-141)
Halling - Gandia
Chris Jones
He is in super form and all is good with him. He won well the last day at Gowran and we are just hoping that the ground won’t get too soft for him - he is a much better horse on a bit of nice ground. He was pretty ready at Gowran and he did that well, but he has only had the two starts this season and I’d imagine that run would have brought him on a bit. It looks a hell of a race and it’s great to be involved in a horse that will line up in a Grade 1 at Christmas. He is a second season novice and he will be taking on the big guns for the first time and it will be interesting to see how he will get on. He seems to be at his best on the better ground in the spring, but the ground at Leopardstown at Christmas time is never that bad. I’d like to think that he’ll give a good account.
BEN DUNDEE
4yo ch g (5-15)
Beneficial - Miss Dundee
Chris Jones
He’ll go for a novice handicap hurdle at Leopardstown. I was a bit disappointed with him at Gowran, but his jumping wasn’t great. He has schooled well since and I’ll be expecting a better performance from him the next day. It will be his first run in a handicap and he hasn’t a lot of racing done ( three starts to date) so we’ll see how he gets on.
DAVID CHRISTIE
VALMY BAIE
7yo b g (1132-212111)
Crillon - Abondance
R Nicholas
He is probably as good a horse as I’ve trained. We have him around a year now and he has won six for us and he is just the star of the show. I only train a small number of horses and I’d say a horse like him - who has his quirks - is more suited to a small yard. He’ll go to Down Royal on the 26th and then we’ll see. I think he is a horse that is well suited by a flat track and the Foxhunters at Aintree could suit him, but we’ll see how Down Royal goes. He is still a young horse. We lost You Must Know Me after he won the Raymond Smith Memorial at Leopardstown this year and he was the only one that we could work this horse with.
SHARK HANLON
CAMLANN
5yo b g J (005-313) F (1300)
Cape Cross - Elle Galante
Mrs A F Mee
He has been a right horse for us this year. He is very tough and he ran three times at Galway and he won the last day down there at the festival. He was third back there in October and I freshened him with the intention of having him ready to run in a handicap hurdle at Leopardstown. Like a lot of the horses, he seems to handle any ground and he is in super form. He will, I think, get in off a nice weight and I couldn’t be happier with him. There are more races to be won with this lad and he jumps great. He is a right fun horse for the Mees and I’d expect him to run a big race.
HIDDEN CYCLONE
11yo b g J (42113) F (12)
Stowaway - Hurricane Debbie
Mrs A F Mee & David Mee
He has been a star for us and he ran some race in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle. Some were saying it was a weak enough Grade 1 but Gordon’s mare came out and won the Hatton’s Grace and my horse was only a couple of lengths behind the winner and a length off Apple’s Jade. There isn’t anything for him at Leopardstown and he’ll likely go to Punchestown on New Year’s Eve for a winners of two. I have a notion that I might try and get him qualified for the big two mile race at Lingfield on Good Friday. That race is worth a lot of money and he has very little racing done on the flat. He is in great form at home and, while he is nearly 12, you’d think to look at him that he was a five-year-old. He won’t run that much if at all on the bad ground. He will get a little break at some stage. We’ll get Punchestown out of the way first and I think there is a winner’s race for him at Dundalk in February.
LINGER
3yo b g (U123411)
Cape Cross - Await So
Dunk Again Syndicate
He is a right little horse that has done more than we expected. He has won his last two races very well in England and we’ll aim him at the Fred Winter at Cheltenham. I have left him off and we’ll bring him back in at the end of January and I’d imagine that he will go there without a run. He is some horse to jump and he loves that good ground. The fast pace at Cheltenham will suit him and he should make the cut. He could be a horse the good handicap hurdles at home next year and he also has the option of going back on the flat.
MIGHTY STOWAWAY
5yo b g (2-2)
Stowaway - The Mighty Matron
Mrs A F Mee
He’ll go for a two and a half mile maiden hurdle at Leopardstown. He is in very good form and his work at home has been super. He has had just the two runs and he will make into a lovely chaser in time, but on the basis of his two runs, I’d expect him to win his maiden hurdle over a trip. Ground doesn’t really matter that much to him and the ground at Leopardstown never gets too fast or heavy, so it should be fine for him. He has been beaten by two good horses and I think a fair bit of this lad. Those maiden hurdles at Leopardstown will be very competitive, but he’ll go there a contender and I couldn’t be happier with him.
REFUSED A NAME
9yo b g (736P6-02)
Montjeu - Dixielake
Breandan Long
He will go to Down Royal for a handicap chase on St Stephen’s Day. He won it three year ago and he ran very well the last day at Market Rasen. He has been in good form since and the fact he likes Down Royal is a plus. He seems to handle any ground. His form had been a bit hit and miss, but that effort would give you a bit of encouragement.
SMADYNIUM
8yo gr g (207-103U1121)
Smadoun - Sea Music
Birdinthehand Syndicate
He has developed into a right horse for us and he is improving all the time. I picked him up for small money earlier and he has won twice and was second in between those two wins. He loves the game and he is owned by a great group of lads and they are after knocking some sport out of this lad. He has gone up a fair bit in the handicap since and he deserves to take his chance in a good race, so he’ll go to Limerick for the Tim Duggan Memorial. It’s worth €50,000 and we didn’t think when we bought him that we’d be going this route. His first win for us was off 107 and he is rated 126 now. He is in some order.
SECRETS SAFE
4yo b g (22-604409P1)
Arcano - Keritana
T J McDonald
He has won for us this year and the plan is that he’ll go for a handicap hurdle at Limerick at Christmas. He won’t mind the ground down there and he was impressive when he won a handicap at LimericK. We always knew that he was a nice horse and we just had to change his routine a bit and he has come right. I think he is still on a nice mark, so hopefully he’ll go close again.
STUART CRAWFORD
BALLYHOWNE
6yo b g (2-7)
Generous - Izzy Saddler
Jetmac Syndicate
He was very keen and he never gave himself a chance when he ran in a bumper at Navan. I think he is a good bit better than that. He was second in a point-to-point and I’d be hopeful that we’ll see a better performance from him in either a bumper or a maiden hurdle at Down Royal.
ELUSIVE THEATRE
5yo b m (U11-3443)
King’s Theatre - Miss Best
David Gordon Roberts
She will go for maiden hurdle at Down Royal. She has been running well and she wants softer ground and a stiffer test. The rain has arrived now so I’d say that she’ll go for that two and a half mile maiden and I think she’ll run well in a race like that.
FINE RIGHTLY
8yo b g (014311-43)
Alflora - Bealtaine
Miss Patricia Duffin
I was very happy with this first run back over fences at Cork behind Douvan. That was his first run over fences since March and I thought he ran very well. They went some gallop and he finished third and he has come out of that race in great form.
He has the option of going to Wetherby, but he’ll more than likely go for the Lexus at Leopardstown. The Cork race was over two miles and this horse is not slow, but he’ll be an awful lot better when he steps back up in trip and three miles around Leopardstown should be fine for him. He is going into the race a bit under the radar, but that suits us and while it looks a hell of a good race, I think he’ll run well. He was third in the Irish Gold Cup last year and he kept on improving last season and he will come on again for Cork. He was never going to beat Douvan and we were delighted he was placed. I couldn’t be happier with him and while he has that option of Wetherby, I’d say he’ll almost certainly run at Leopardstown.
JIMMY BREEKIE
6yo b g (/0322-2318)
Alkaadhem - Highland Breeze
W I MacKenzie
That was a very good maiden hurdle that he ran in the other day at Punchestown. He started a 50/1 shot and on his previous start, he had won his bumper at Punchestown, so that will tell you how strong a race it was. I think he’ll be a lot better going the other way and he’ll go to Leopardstown for a maiden hurdle. He is a horse that we like and he has only been out of the money twice on the track.
VERONA OPERA
5yo b m (U4256)
King’s Theatre - Timissa
Ivy Wall Syndicate
She will go for the Martinstown Opportunity Handicap Hurdle at Down Royal. She ran well at Navan and that race has worked out well - the second and fourth have both won. That was a good and I think she’ll be competitive in that grade. She handles an ease in the ground and I think she can win a handicap off her mark. I think she’ll go to Down Royal a contender.
DENIS HOGAN
INIS MEAIN
9yo b g (0S0/320)
Bernstein - Runaway Fields
Barry Connell
He has been in very good form and I’d say there is every chance that he’ll go to Limerick for the Tim Duggan Memorial. He has taken well to fences and I thought he bumped into two good horses when placed behind Three Stars and Jetstream Jack at Listowel and Tipperary. We know that he handles soft ground and I think a race like that will suit him.
JACK THE WIRE
6yo b g (311003)
Scorpion - Smiling Away
M G Hogan
He’ll go for the Pertemps qualifier at Leopardstown. He’ll appreciate a bit of softer ground and, while he has yet to run over three miles, I think he has every chance of getting that trip. He has been a good horse for us this season and, assuming he’ll get the trip, I think he’ll be competitive.
THE IRREGULAR
4yo b g (3-0083351)
Scorpion - Go Girl
Raymond Treacy & Shaun Staplehurst
He went up 5lb for winning the last day and he’ll have a few options over the Christmas, but he’ll more than likely go for the novice handicap hurdle at Leopardstown. He won’t mind a bit of soft ground and the horse that he beat at Clonmel has won since. He has been in good form and he should get into that race with a nice light weight on his back. He’ll need to step up, but he is a horse that is open to improvement.
YOUCANTCALLHERTHAT
5yo b m (5F046U5)
Brian Boru - Fruitful Venture
Lostwelton Syndicate
She is a nice mare and she will appreciate three miles and soft ground, so she will go for a handicap hurdle at Limerick. I was very happy with her the last day at Cork and she has come out of that race in very good form. Those low grade handicaps at Limerick can be very competitive, but she is a mare that will appreciate three miles.