JIM Dreaper heads to Navan tomorrow with a genuine contender for the Ladbrokes.com Troytown Chase with the seven-year-old Venitien De Mai.
The son of Network has relatively few miles on the clock and is well suited by testing ground. Dreaper’s assistant and son Tom said: “He seems to be very well and the softer the ground the better for him. It’s not that he needs it, but he seems to handle those conditions better than most and granted normal luck in running, I’d like to think that he is capable of running a big race.”
Numbers wise, Tom said: “We have 38 riding out. We have 44 boxes and a few of them are on winter break, but as a bunch, we like them. We have some lovely four-year-olds and we think a few of them are above average.”
“Those four-year-old point-to-points are very strong races at this time of the year. It’s a cut-throat business and ultra-competitive and professional. It has developed into a beast of its own and that isn’t a bad thing. I’d be pointing every weekend and you’d be standing down at the first fence and those four-year-olds would go quicker down to the first fence than they would go down to the first on the track. And that is why those races are as good as they are.”
He added, “We have great owners that allow us to do the right thing with the horses. They are happy to wait and give them a bit more time and I’d like to think that policy will pay dividends down the road.
“Jockey wise, Johnny Burke and Mark Enright come in and ride out and school away. They ride out a couple of days a week. Stevie Clements and Jamie Codd do all the work on the point-to-point horses. Obviously some owners will have a preference for certain jockeys and that is fine by us, but we’ll try, if we can, to share the rides out between the lads that come in and ride out.”
AUPCHARLIE
10yo b g (P4116-7)
Daliapour - Lirfa
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He is not here that long and he will be aimed at the two Foxhunters at Cheltenham and Aintree. We’ll get him going in the spring in a couple of point-to-points and he was given an extra break during the summer. He is just cantering away at the moment and we are in no rush with him and we’ll get him going in a couple of opens next year.
CERCA TROVA
10yo b m (7411-)
Brian Boru - Aran Dawn
Mrs L Skelly
She is like a yard mascot and she is just a lovely mare to have about the place. She does nothing but please you and she will run away over hurdles and fences this season. She has won her last two and is a hardy bit of stuff. She appears to be well handicapped over fences and we’ll aim to get her going after Christmas time. I’d imagine that she will be covered in the spring.
CLOCK IN
4yo b g (6/)
Presenting - Gli Gli
John P McManus
He has had a few problems and has been restricted to just the one run, but we think he is a nice horse. He could start back in a point-to-point and we’ll just have to see how things go, and if we can keep him right, there is a fair engine there.
GOONYELLA
9yo br g (39425-6)
Presenting - Miss Fresher
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
We ran him in the cross country race last week as, off his current mark, there are not that many races for him. It was a different route for him and he wants four miles. Jamie got off him the other day and said that he took to that well. He’ll go to Cheltenham for the cross country race next month and his season is geared around the National at Aintree. You might need a horse rated 150 to get into Aintree so if he missed the cut for there, Fairyhouse will be the aim for him. He’ll have too much weight for the Welsh National so he won’t go there but he is still a novice over hurdles. We’ll see how he gets on at Cheltenham next month and ground is important to him - he is well suited by the soft ground. He has been a great servant and he is rising 10 now and we want to do the right thing by him, but he really seemed to enjoy himself over the banks last weekend.
GRAND JESTURE
8yo b g (2102R/R-1)
Gold Well - Four Moons
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He achieved an awful lot with Henry and we have just tweaked a few things since he arrived with us and he won very well at Loughbrickland a couple of weeks ago. He was very sweet and the aim is the Foxhunters at Cheltenham. He was out hunting last week and he goes to the beech once a week. He could run again this weekend and Jamie was very happy with him the last day. He is a genuine 145-plus type of horse and he has done nothing to suggest that he won’t run to something like that. He is a happy horse and he won as he liked the last day – he was entitled to win, but that seemed to crown him and we’ll get him qualified for Cheltenham. He has run well around there before and after this weekend, he’ll go to Down Royal on St Stephens Day. Obviously Enda’s horse is exceptional, but we’d like to think that he could be a good hunter chaser this season.
KAYF SUPREME
7yo b g (53521-P)
Kayf Tara - Sonnet Supreme
Alan Potts
He had a good season last year and all was well with him, but he pulled-up lame after he ran at Punchestown. He was given a good break and he was in a bit late but he should be ready to run around Christmas time. He is not a dour stayer and we think he’ll be competitive in a good race over two and a half miles. He is the biggest horse that we have in the yard, he has really filled out and he is well over 17hh. With the rating that he has, there are not that many options for him in December, but there are a couple of races for him at Leopardstown and Limerick at Christmas time so hopefully he’ll be ready to go by then.
MR COSMOPOLITAN
9yo b g (304P105-)
Basanta - Miss Topoftheworld
Hugh W. Newell
He has had wind issues and he won over hurdles at Naas earlier this year. He will run away over hurdles and fences. He had a wind operation over the summer and hopefully that will help him. He seems to be a better horse for it and he is a real fun horse for his owners, who are local to us. He loves heavy ground and anywhere from two to two and a half miles is fine for him. Assuming this procedure has worked, I think he’ll be competitive in his own grade over hurdles and fences this season.
M M D SIZER
6yo b g (0161-P)
Shirocco - On The Horizon
Alan Potts
He has been a little bit hit and miss. He won his maiden hurdle earlier in the year but Jonny felt that he went a bit wrong on his chasing debut at Cork and pulled him up. He has had a bit of time off and the ability is there. He wants three miles and soft ground and he will go back over fences. He seems fine again and is doing everything right again now. He could start back in a three-mile beginners chase at Punchestown after Christmas.
MULLAGHMURPHY BLUE
5yo b g (2)
Beneficial - Blue Phase
T.O. White
He came to hand quite quick, his work was encouraging and he was second in a maiden at Loughbrickland. Jamie was very happy with him, he will go back for another point and eventually he will end up on the track. He is well above average and, like a lot of Beneficials, I’d say he wouldn’t be that keen on deep winter ground. We’ll get him out again probably this weekend and we might back off him over the winter with a view to having him ready for the track come the spring/early summer. He seems to appreciate a bit of better ground.
SIZING COAL
8yo b g (/1273/P3P-31)
Presenting - Hollygrove Cezanne
Alan & Ann Potts Partnership
We are leaning towards the Becher Chase on Saturday week with him. He loves soft ground and he seems to stay all day. He would have needed the run when he won at Sligo and he has missed a couple of races due to the ground. They are getting plenty of rain in England and a slog really seems to suit him. He is rated 134 now and I’d like to think that there is a bit more improvement in him. He has schooled well over the Aintree fences at the Curragh and after the Becher, we might look at the Thyestes for him. He is a bit sharper than a dour stayer - he has won over two and a half miles and we’ll see how he gets on at Aintree. If he takes to the fences over there, that will open up more options for him.
SIZINGDOWNTHERHINE
6yo ch g (12-12)
Flemensfirth - Glabejet
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He ran well at Wexford and there is a lot of stamina in his pedigree. He has grown up a lot since the spring and there is more to come from him. He might stay down the hunter chase road this season, but I have no doubt that he will develop into a horse for the track. He bumped into a very good mare the other day and she was a bit more streetwise than him. He handles heavy ground well and he gets three miles well. I’d say we’ll get him going again around Christmas time and with another year under his belt, he could be a very nice horse. He will improve a good bit for Wexford and there could be a nice race to be won with him in the spring over a trip.
SIZING SOLUTION
8yo b g (/5U288-383122)
King’s Theatre - Toulon Rouge
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He is a very likeable horse but the handicapper has him over fences and his owners were happy to let him go back pointing. He won well the first day but he needs good ground and we ran him twice after that when we really shouldn’t have as his ground was gone. He will go down the hunter chase route and he wouldn’t be one for those three-mile races. I’d say two miles, six furlongs is far as he wants to go. We’ll try and get him qualified for Aintree and maybe the good hunters’ chase at Stratford could be an option.
SIZING TITANIUM
8yo b g (F/104221/24-)
Flemensfirth - White On Red
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He has won his maiden hurdle and was second to Kitten Rock in a beginners’ chase at Navan last year. But he has few little niggly problems in the spring so we took the shoes off him and let him out. He is a massive big horse and we think he is above average. If we could get a clear run with him, there are races to be won with him. I’d say we’ll get him going again in a beginners’ chase around Christmas time and he is a horse that wouldn’t want the ground too good - ideally he’d want it on the slow side. Anywhere from two - two and a half miles is his trip.
SIZINGUPTHEAMAZON
6yo b g (1/923-)
Flemensfirth - Fugal Maid
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He won his bumper which is rare for us and he has a fair bit of pace. He was placed over hurdles and we have looked after him and he seems to love real heavy ground. He is ready to go and we are just waiting for that real soft ground before we start him off over fences. It’s hard to know how good he could be. He has more pace than an out and out three-miler. I can see him improving for a run or two to get the hang of it and there could be a good handicap in him on deep ground. He has schooled after racing and we are keen to get him started over two - two and a half miles.
SLEMISH
6yo ch g (33/11-423)
Robin Des Champs - Superficial Lady
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He is a fine big horse that we just backed off a bit after a couple of quick runs over hurdles last month. He was a bit free and keen over hurdles but those runs were really just kicking in a bit of time before he goes chasing. He won a couple of point-to-points and he will go chasing in the new year. He is horse that we like and I think he’ll be a better chaser than hurdler.
VENITIEN DE MAI
7yo b g (111/122321/F3119-46)
Network - Meylba
Ann & Alan Potts Partnership
He’ll go for the Troytown on Sunday. He has had a couple of runs this season just to sharpen him up a bit. He was a bit novicey in the Irish National last year and we still feel that he has a bit of growing up to do. But he was good when he won the Leinster National last year and those two runs this autumn at Limerick and Wexford seemed to have sharpened him up a bit. After Sunday we’ll look at the Paddy Power at Christmas time and then we’ll aim him at a National in the spring and I’d imagine that he will be geared towards another crack at the Irish National. He seems to have improved for his two runs and he is more of a man than he was last year. On soft ground over three miles, he is well up to running a big race in something like a Troytown. He has won a point-to-point on better ground but he is just not as affective on it. He is an out and out three-miler that wants soft ground.
UNRACED
4yo b g
Flemensfirth - Star Shuil
Ray Tiernan
We had thought about getting him started in a four-year-old point-to-point, but we decided to give him a chance and we’ll have him ready to start off in a five-year-old maiden next year. He is a lovely horse and is more or less ready to run.
UNRACED
4yo b g
Getaway - Line Jade
Elaine O’Farrell
He is a sharp horse and is a half-brother to a good horse that we had called Lord Fingal, who won five in a row for us a few years ago. He is owned by the same people and I’d say this lad is a bit sharper than him. He has been away and his work has been good. He will also go for a point-to-point in the new year and I could see him running in a maiden hurdle in the spring.
UNRACED
4yo b g
Lord Noble - Turtle Dash
Barney And The Boys Syndicate
He is a nice horse and he has been tipping away at home with horses that have been running on the track and in point-to-points. He will start off in a point after Christmas, his work has been good and he has come to hand pretty quickly. He is a horse that we like and, for an unfashionably bred horse, he could have a nice future.
UNRACED
4yo b f
Presenting - Dinos Monkey
Who’s In Syndicate
She comes from a good family and she is a smashing big mare that looks like a gelding. She will go down the point-to-point route after Christmas. She is a typical Presenting in that she covers a lot ground and she could be above average.