Saturday

Irish Champion Hurdle

I probably was surprised with how well Sharjah won at Christmas, not by the turn of foot he showed but how well he was travelling. My eye had been drawn to Saint Roi but it was hard to miss him coming through on the turn in.

Sharjah doesn’t need to improve (like the other two) and I just hope he doesn’t do something similar to what he did in this race last year – hitting a hurdle going out the back which knocked him off kilter for the rest of the race.

We were disappointed with Saint Roi at Christmas. I don’t know whether it was our tactics or he just wasn’t right on the day but we were expecting a much better performance. Nothing came to light. Some horses have their off days .

I’m hoping Saldier will run a lot better than he did at Christmas, when he seemed to need the run. Going back to the day that he jumped the last upsides Espoir D’Allen at Naas – that sort of form puts him right into the Champion Hurdle picture but we have to get him back to that sort of form and we’re a good bit off it.

We think he’s improving but he is going to have to improve a good bit more to win this race.

Ladbrokes Dublin Chase

I was impressed with Chacun Pour Soi at Christmas. We got a run into him down in Cork and that paid off well. I think he’s in great shape. Min is going to take his chance again – he has always run well in this race and I think it will be a good race again.

We’ve always held Chacun in huge esteem and his work at home has always been very good. The first day he schooled around Leopardstown with Danny (Mullins) riding him, he was awesome to watch.

I set Danny out to follow the rest of them but after two fences he was in front, winging them like an old pro. He is a horse that commands a lot of respect around here.

He was good at Cork and better again at Leopardstown and I think he can improve again, he’ll probably need to keep improving.

Bryan Cooper rode Tornado Flyer in the John Durkan where he ran so well and he said to go back to two miles. I went up in trip with him at Christmas and he jumped so badly early on that I thought it was a really good run to finish fifth.

He jumped brilliantly at Punchestown. Maybe it was because he was held up going a slow pace the last day.

Patrick Ward & Company Solicitors Irish Arkle

Energumene looks a natural chaser and I think he dealt with the drop back to two miles easily at Naas. He won very well over two and a half miles on his chase debut but I just felt that he jumps so well, why waste that strength, to an extent, over a longer trip.

I think he passed that test (over two miles) and he’ll have to pass another one today against better horses. Hopefully, the ground is soft enough for him. He’s a big unit and you don’t really need quick ground for a horse like that.

Unexpected had a small setback after he won his beginners’ chase but he got back on track and you’ve got to run in these good races when they’re there. He is a very good horse over two miles as well and another who likes to push it early so it will be interesting to see how he gets on.

We’ve got Franco De Port in here as well. Was he a lucky winner at Christmas? We don’t know, but they went a ferocious gallop that day. He’s a good solid jumper. He doesn’t do anything very fast early on but if they go a mad pace he’ll be coming a long to mop up the spoils. We know we’ll have something coming on late!

Nathaniel Lacy & Solicitors Partners Novice Hurdle

Gaillard Du Mesnil has been very good. The horse he beat at Christmas (Mr Incredible) won well at Naas on Sunday so that race is working out well.

When he got beaten at Punchestown before that, a lot of our horses were needing the run big time.

He is going up a bit in trip, I’d probably rather the race was two and a half miles to be honest as he was a little keen with Paul last time, but I do think he’ll improve from that experience.

Ganapathi just got beaten by Dreal Deal in the Moscow Flyer and I put that down to a more professional horse beating a real novice.

I think that was only the third run of his life – he met the last hurdle and he didn’t know what to do with it whereas Dreal Deal had plenty of experience and knew exactly what to do.

I’m hoping there is going to be a good deal of improvement in Ganapathi. I don’t think the step up in trip will be any problem.

Stattler just wasn’t right for Thurles and he’s back right again. I think the step in trip will suit him – he’s going to be better going over three miles.

Shadow Rider is a horse that is improving. He looks like he could do with a longer trip but then we’re wondering about how to ride him properly, what will suit him. We’ve decided to let him have a go so we’ll find out more today.

Sunday

Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup

When both Melon and Kemboy turned in to the straight first and second in the Savills Chase, I was just thinking, ‘one of them please!’

And I suppose if either of them fell at the last you were going to say how far for the other one but it didn’t work out like that in the end.

I think we’ll probably change tactics with Melon. Up to now we’ve been putting cheekpieces on him, the go-faster stripes, trying to get him to be more competitive over two miles and two and a half.

So unfortunately for Patrick, the horse took off with him down the back and he ended up taking him on. However Patrick didn’t want to disappoint him either.

I think the way he runs has been a product of us trying to force it with him in the past but I think if we don’t force it on Sunday, he’ll settle back off the pace and hopefully use his ability over the last two furlongs.

Kemboy seems to be back to himself. David has retired since so I’m wondering will anyone get on as well with him. We’ll have to see. He seems to like Leopardstown too. We would be worried about any further rain. I think the real nice ground suits him more than any other horse.

Flogas Novice Chase

Monkfish looks a real natural chaser and all the rain that has arrived this week will suit him. It was a good tussle between him and Latest Exhibition the last time, they are two horses with plenty of history together.

The more testing ground will suit us better and given the way he jumps, I don’t think this drop down in trip will bother him. It’s a Grade 1, we’ll get a lot of practice, it’s huge prize money, you have to go there.

The tendency to jump right has been the problem with Asterion Forlonge but it’s an even bigger concern that he fell at the first the last day. I hope I have his confidence back – I just think he was going too slow into that fence and changed his mind at the last second. Going left is a concern but I’ve wondered are there different ways of riding him that might counteract that? We probably should be staying on a right-handed course but if you don’t ask the question, you don’t get the answer either. It’s a Grade 1, if you miss it, you can’t pick up another the following week.

Tattersalls Ireland Spring Juvenile Hurdle

Youmdor looked like he was going to win before he got a hard fall at Fairyhouse. He was travelling well but just didn’t do what Paul asked him and came down. He recovered from that fine.

Ha D’Or had his first run over hurdles at Christmas and ran well, he’s sure to improve a fair bit.

I think Saint Sam ran way better than his finishing position at Christmas, he probably got the worst run in the race and I think this horse is improving all the time.

Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle

I was hugely taken with the performance Appreciate It put up at Christmas. He was more than I thought he was with the performance he put in. I was leaning towards going up in trip with him at the start of the season – if we had gone down the two-mile-six route, it wouldn’t have surprised me. That’s why I was hugely taken with this run. He seems in great shape.