MAGS MULLINS
DEBUCHET
4yo gr g (2121-)
Smadoun - Luzerne Du Poitou
He is back in around 10 weeks or so and he looks great. He has filled out and gotten stronger over the summer and it’s fingers crossed everything goes well from here. I’d imagine that it will be mid to late October before we get him started and I’d say that we’ll start him off over two miles and get him to learn as he goes along. He was a very good horse last year, but it won’t be easy for him this season.
Last season was great and the syndicate that own him are great people to be involved with. It is great for racing for lads like that to have a horse like him and you get the feeling that syndicates are getting back into the game which is great for everyone. We’ll take it steady with him and he is going lovely. We let him out in April and if anything, he was bit too fat when he came back in, but hopefully he’ll have a long season and we are in no rush with him.
MARTELLO PARK
5yo b m (233146-)
Central Park - Johnsalice
She has been leased by the lads that own Debuchet and she developed into a good bumper mare last season. She went out at the same time as Debuchet and the pair of them came back in together. I’ve been delighted with her since and she will start off over hurdles sometime next month. She is a lovely mare who ran well in a few good mares bumpers last season, culminating with a good sixth at Aintree. She might need a trip in time. We’re looking forward to getting her started and hopeful she can do well for us again.
HENRY DE BROMHEAD
IDENTITY THIEF
7yo b g (31126/211PU460-)
Kayf Tara - Miss Arteea
He’ll be entered for a conditions hurdle at Tipperary next week and he seems to be in really good form. We’ll make up our minds closer to the time - I have to speak with Eddie and Michael about it, but that is what we are thinking about for him. He looked promising last year until things went wrong from Leopardstown onwards. We’re hoping he is better than that and can show it this season.
SOME PLAN
9yo b g (5404/01F1166-)
Winged Love - Lough Hyne
The plan is that he’ll go for a second season novice chase at Limerick early next month. He is in great form and I am delighted with him. He has mostly raced over two miles but we’ll probably stretch him out a bit this season. The race at Limerick is over two miles three and a half furlongs for horses rated 135 or less so it is a good starting point. He is back in a while and he did very well over the summer. I’m looking forward to getting him going again.
CHAMPAGNE WEST
9yo b g (112F/2PFP/31194-)
Westerner - Wyndham Sweetmarie
He is another that looks great at the moment and he also did very well over the summer. He likes proper soft ground so it will be late October/November time before we get him going. He’ll run in all those good conditions/graded chases over a trip. Something like the Clonmel Oil Chase (2m4f) would be an option for him.
PETIT MOUCHOIR
6yo gr g (23F113-)
Al Namix - Arnette
He looks to be in great form and the plan is that he’ll be going novice chasing sometime towards the end of October I’d say. He was a very good horse for us over hurdles and he’s obviously an exciting horse to be going chasing with.
VALSEUR LIDO
8yo b g (12FU22/14-)
Anzillero - Libido Rock
He is back in very good form and I’ve been really happy with him. It was a shame that he missed a part of last season due to injury, but he had a good break and he’ll hopefully be a horse that we’ll aim at all the good three-mile chases over the winter. The plan is to start him back in the JNWine.com Chase at Down Royal - it looks the ideal starting off point for him. He won that race last year and that is what we are looking at for him.
BALKO DES FLOS
6yo ch g (72133F3-1)
Balko - Royale Marie
He was very good when he won the Galway Plate and he came out of that race in very good form. It was a great race to win. Everything went right for him on the day - he jumped super and Davy gave him a super ride. He’ll go to Gowran Park for the PWC Champion Chase next and we’ll see how he gets on there before making a plan. He won the Plate off 146 and he is now rated 158, so he’ll have to go for the good chases now. Hopefully he can hold his own - he ran well against Disko last season at Leopardstown. Gowran should tell us a lot.
MONALEE
6yo b g (212124-)
Milan - Tempest Belle
He developed into a very good horse for us last year and he won a Grade 3 at Clonmel, before finishing second in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. He stays very well and he’ll go novice chasing towards the end of October/early November. He jumps well and he could be an exciting staying novice chaser.
SPECIAL TIARA
10yo b g (423/631512-)
Kayf Tara - Special Choice
He looks great and I’m delighted with him. We might go a different route with him this season and head to Gowran Park for their good chase over two and a half miles. He has been a great horse for us and he was brilliant winning the Champion Chase at Cheltenham last year. Like most of the horses, he enjoyed his break and is back looking as good as ever.
GAVIN CROMWELL
JER’S GIRL
5yo b m (11251/125F-)
Jeremy - African Scene
She’ll probably start back on the flat in a mile and a half maiden at Roscommon on Monday. She has been back in three weeks or so - she looks great after a good break over the summer and I’m delighted with her. As far as jumping is concerned, we’ll look at something like the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan and all those good races over two to two and half miles are there for her. We know that she likes winter ground so hopefully she’ll enjoy a good season.
GORDON ELLIOTT
APPLE’S JADE
5yo b m (1121/1221211-)
Saddler Maker - Apple’s For Ever
She looks great after a good break and she is cantering away. We like to start back some of our better horses at the good meeting at Down Royal at the end of next month and we are thinking of the WKD Hurdle for her there on the Friday over two miles. That trip is probably a bit short for her, but it will be a good starting off point and we’ll see how it goes and then look towards the rest of the season.
You’d imagine that she’ll be aimed at the mares’ hurdle again at Cheltenham.
SUTTON PLACE
6yo b g (3111/11P-)
Mahler - Glebe Beauty
If all goes well, he is about six weeks off a run but we are in no rush with him. It was unfortunate the way he finished last season (pulled-up behind Unowhatimeanharry in Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown) but he had a good season all in all.
He has been good over hurdles but he has the stamp of a chaser so that’s what we are going to do with him. Hopefully he will stay fit and if so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.
FAYONAGH
6yo b m (81111-)
Kalanisi - Fair Ina
She will probably go to Fairyhouse for a maiden hurdle on 7th October. She looks well and so far she has jumped well so we’re looking forward to getting her started.
She was great for us last season and was brilliant to win at Cheltenham and Punchestown but she will need to step up again this year going over hurdles. She is an exciting horse to have and hopefully there is another big season in her.
DEATH DUTY
6yo b g (13/112/1111U3-)
Shantou - Midnight Gift
He will start off novice chasing around the middle of October. He was an exciting novice hurdler last season and he won the Grade 1 Lawlers Hotel Novice Hurdle at Naas. That was great but unfortunately things didn’t quite go to plan for him after that. Saying that, he was bought as a future three-mile chaser and we’re hopeful he can be better over fences. He is back in a while and he seems to be in great shape. Obviously, he is one of nice bunch of novice chasers that we have and we’re looking forward to getting him started.
SAMCRO
5yo ch g (1/111-)
Germany - Dun Dun
He’ll start off in a maiden hurdle as soon as we get soft ground. He has filled out his frame and he looks great but he is probably around a month off a run. He looked a smart horse in his three bumpers last season, so we’re excited to get him jumping.
MEGA FORTUNE
4yo b g (F133124-)
Soldier Of Fortune - Far Across
He did very well over the summer, and he is after getting stronger. The good four-year-olds, can often struggle when they have to take on the older horses, but we’ll keep him to his own age group as much as we can. There is a nice race for four-year-olds only over two and a quarter miles at Limerick on 8th October and there is a good chance we’ll start him off there.
JURY DUTY
6yo b g (63/334413/21236-)
Well Chosen - Swan Heart
He was highly rated over hurdles and he’ll go novice chasing. Like most of them, he isn’t that far off a run and it will be around the end of October when we get him started. We know that he stays well, so I’d say that we’ll start him off over two and a half miles and see how that goes. He looks great and he could be a decent novice chaser. Also he seems to handle any ground which is a big plus.
OUTLANDER
9yo b g (3111F2/22F210P-)
Stowaway - Western Whisper
He did well for us last season, winning the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown and all those good three-mile chases are there for him again this season. I’d say the JNWine.com Chase at Down Royal could be a starting-off point for him. He ran well on his first start for us in a Grade 2 at the same meeting last year and as I said, we like to target Down Royal - it’s a very good track. He looks great at the moment and is cantering away.
NOEL MEADE
RED JACK
4yo b g (11-)
Mahler - Hollygrove Bonnie
He looks great but he is probably still a month off a run. We’ll be looking to get him started in a maiden hurdle and we’ll take it from there. He hasn’t done anything quick yet and so we have no set plan at the minute. He beat Debuchet (Cheltenham Champion Bumper runner-up) on his debut at Naas and then went on to win the valuable Tattersalls bumper at Fairyhouse. We think a lot of him and we’re looking forward to getting him started.
DISKO
6yo gr g (1/221/6133131-)
Martaline - Nikos Royale
I am delighted with him. He looks great and he did very well over the summer. I am not sure yet where he’ll start off, but he is cantering away and he is in great form. We could go to Punchestown, or it could be the north (Down Royal), we’ll see. He is back in since the middle of July and he put on a good bit of weight but he is holding it well. We were really happy with how he did over the summer and he seems to have strengthened up – he was a bit leggy last season. He is an exciting horse to have - a Grade 1-winning novice chaser - so we are very much looking forward to the whole season with him.
BEL AMI DE SIVOLA
6yo b g (6/32/1115P8-2)
Network - Notting Hill
He is going to start off over fences at Navan today. We’ll see how that goes and make a plan from there. He is a huge big horse and I’ve always said that he’ll be a better horse over fences. Ground-wise he wouldn’t want it too soft but he does jump well at home and hopefully he’ll go well today.
SNOW FALCON
7yo b g (315F1/11F32538-)
Presenting - Flocon De Neige
He won a nice race on the flat at Killarney and he’ll either go for the Irish or the English Cesarewitch and he will go back jumping after that. He progressed to the top level of staying hurdlers last season and ran a huge race at Aintree when third to Yanworth. I haven’t schooled him over fences and it’s possible that we’ll do that, but he’ll run again on the flat before he goes back jumping.
ROAD TO RESPECT
6yo ch g (3135/014322 11-)
Gamut - Lora Lady
He is more or less at the same stage as Disko, I don’t think he’ll make the PwC Champion Chase at Gowran Park, but another week after that, and he won’t be far away. He is very well and he is in great form. Down Royal is an option for him where they have the JNwine.com Chase and the Grade 2 for second-season chasers on the same day, so it’s possible that he could go there (at the start of November).
LE MARTALIN
6yo ch g (4/11336P-)
Martaline - Hembra
He’ll start off over fences fairly soon and we are just waiting for soft ground for him. I haven’t schooled him on the grass yet and he’ll start off in a novice chase on soft ground in the next fortnight or so – he isn’t that far off a run.