LAST Sunday Kitten Rock gave an exhibition of jumping when he made the perfect start to his chasing career at Navan for Edward O’Grady.
The strapping five-year-old rounded off last season rated 160 over hurdles and it was just a case of whether he’d take to the larger obstacles.
At Navan, he was neat and nimble over his fences and won with a fair amount in hand and O’Grady remarked afterwards: “The dream is very much alive.”
No one can dispute his record as a trainer – he is one the best of his generation and we all remember the good horses - Sound Man, Back In Front, Drumlargan, Ventana Canyon and the best of them all, Golden Cygnet.
With so many good hurdlers going chasing, the novice chase division looks hugely competitive but Kitten Rock looks sure to play a leading role in that sphere. Assuming he does, it will propel O’Grady back into the big time, back where he belongs.
ALL SOULS
3yo b c F: (75523)
Cape Cross - Altruiste
He was a nice horse on the flat in from France and he comes from one of the best families in the book as his dam is a half-sister to the dam of Urban Sea. He is a nice, big horse and he might be ready to run in a three-year-old hurdle around Christmas time. He isn’t with me that long, but I like what I have seen of him so far.
GALLANT TIPP
7yo b g (3FR-73F1546F)
Definite Article - Noble Delight
J.P. McManus
He has been enigmatic and we feel that he should be showing better than he has been showing. He was very unlucky to fall at Tipperary when he looked to have a race at his mercy, but he won well after that at Roscommon. He seems a little bit ground dependant. He ran on Thursday and fell. He might have maybe one more run before he has a rest.
GREAT KHAN
4yo b g (F-)
Kalanisi - Can’t Stop
Jonathan O’Grady
He comes from a family that I know well as his dam is a half-sister to Catch Me and Cash And Go, who both won Grade 1s. He was unfortunate to fall on his only start in a point-to-point last spring and he is a great big horse - he stands at 16hh 3h. He is owned by my son and he looks to have a lot of potential. I hope that he might be a bumper horse and he will go straight to the track.
JUMPTOCONCLUSIONS
6yo b g (70/612413-P)
Scorpion - Can’t Stop
J.P. McManus
He looked promising when he won at Downpatrick but he has had little issues since. I am hoping that he’ll run next month and he’ll probably be kept on the go for the winter.
KITTEN ROCK
5yo b g (112/411116-1)
Laverock - The Cat Eater
J.P. McManus
We had been putting his chasing career on hold and Tom Scudamore suggested that we send him chasing after he rode him in a Grade 1 as a four-year-old at Punchestown last year. But I decided to defer it as he is a tall horse and I wasn’t sure that he’d have been strong enough. I am sure that he would have been good at four/five, but it wasn’t a bad decision as the novice chasers were brilliant last year. We made a plan for him and he won his first four races over hurdles and I really wanted to know if he was a champion hurdler. Last season proved that he is not far off being one but I think we’ll see the best of him over two and a half miles over fences. The logical option was to send him chasing this season and that was based on the advice of a lot of people including those that have ridden him over hurdles. Navan last Sunday was enormously nervy for the whole yard. He is the horse that we have been looking for, probably since Sound Man. He has on paper at least, the potential to be a Grade 1 horse. There is a race for him that hopefully he’ll go for at Navan in a few weeks’ time and depending on how that goes, we can then look at Leopardstown at Christmas. I think it would be unsafe to ask him to stretch on good ground in the autumn when he is heavier, but when he is fit and lighter in the spring, I certainly don’t see it being a problem once or maybe twice.
LE VAGABOND
3yo b g (-F1)
Footstepsinthesand - Miryale
Weir House Syndicate
He also came to us from France and he has done nothing but please us since we got him. It took him a while to get over being gelded and I thought he was unlucky to fall after he over jumped the last at Ballinrobe. I was very pleased with him at Thurles. He only ran up to around nine furlongs in France, so we weren’t sure whether he’d get the trip or handle soft ground but he seemed to get the trip well at Thurles and he handed the soft ground before that at Ballinrobe. I am hopeful that he will keep going and we’ll know more about him after he runs in a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse at the end of this month. He showed plenty of pace when he won at Longchamp and he is a horse who I fell that gelding has improved enormously - he seems to concentrate on the right things now. If he runs well at Fairyhouse, the rest of the season tends to sort itself out.
MY MATADOR
4yo b g (64-U2560)
Kandahar Run - My Special
Threejays Partnership
He’ll run in a novice handicap hurdle today (Punchestown). He has had bone pain and he has been operated on for his wind so hopefully now he can show us a bit more than he has to date. I think he will stay very well and he jumps nicely.
NERANO
4yo b g
Milan - Derriana
Loumar Partnership
He is a very nice horse by Milan who we hope to see on the track either this or the other side of Christmas. He will start off probably in a bumper and I like him and he has pleased me in his work.
ORCHESTRAL RUN
4yo b g
Mahler - Baunfaun Run
E.J. O’Grady & Louise Fitzgerald
He is another very nice young horse that we will probably get going in a bumper around Christmas time. He is by Mahler and he does everything right. He has been given time to mature and I do like him.
PRICKLY
5yo ch g NH: (-11215343) F: (474)
Definite Article - Connemara Rose
Simon Davis
He is now on a rest and will come back in the spring and go back over hurdles. He’ll probably chasing at some stage next year and he could also run on the flat. He is a nice, dual-purpose horse that will mix it for the summer. He has had wind issues and he will probably have another procedure done before we race him again - he has already had a couple of procedures. He is a horse with plenty of pace and while he goes on easy ground, over two and a half on slow ground, his wind is inclined to compromise him. He is better on better ground.
PRINCE KUP
4yo ch g (2-513)
High Rock - Lockup
Loumar Partnership
He is another French import. I was very pleased with him when he won at Gowran, but I was equally disappointed with his performance at Wexford. I can only attribute that performance to the ground which had gone soft/heavy. He will run on Saturday and I hope we’ll see more like his Gowran run. We’ll know a bit more about him after the weekend and it will tell us how ground dependant he is. I hope he’ll make into a nice, dual-purpose horse that will jump a fence as well in time. We’ll see how the weekend goes - it would be nice to keep going with him, but as I said, the ground may dictate and we might have to back off him until the spring. I would hope that he’ll get two and a half miles and I see him as a nice handicapper.
REFLET AMBRE
5yo b g (6220-65)
Smadoun - Glinka Des Aigles
Louise Fitzgerald
He had his first run back last Sunday at Limerick - he had a problem with a kissing spine. I was pleased with that run and he’ll run again at Wexford. He needed the run at Limerick and I’d like to think that he’ll be competitive in maidens and handicaps. He got tired on Sunday but he was entitled to and he seemed to handle the ground okay. I think he’ll be better on better ground.
ROCONGA
5yo b g (38-1242172)
Rakti - Nafzira
Robert Byrne
He has done well for us over the summer and is another that will be rested over the winter. He prefers better ground and we think that he is a nice novice hurdler. His future will be over fences but he will come back and run in novice/handicap hurdles in the spring before he goes chasing next summer. He had a very good run behind Modem at Naas last year in a maiden hurdle at Naas on what was soft ground, but his best form is better on better ground. I think he’ll get two and a half over fences.
SLIPPERY SERPENT
4yo b g
Scorpion - Tres Chic
Mrs E.J. O’Grady
We were going to run him in a bumper in early January and then I decided that I’d send him point-to-pointing. I sent him for a schooling hurdle but he pulled a muscle so I put him away. He could be a bumper horse and I am hoping that he might run this year.
THE WESTS AWAKE
4yo b g (27-)
Yeats - Bilboa
Mrs John Magnier
I thought that he had the potential to be a top bumper horse last year, but things didn’t go right for him. He was favourite for a bumper at Down Royal where he finished second, but he seemed to run too free that day. I ran him back at Leopardstown, but that run may have come too soon for him. I think he will develop into a very nice novice hurdler this winter. I’d say he’ll start off over hurdles sometime in December at the earliest.
TIME FOR MABEL
4yo ch g NH: (-313) F: (49731-45)
Soldier Of Fortune - Athens Two O Four
Mullacrock Partnership
He is another of our French imports. We were delighted when he won his maiden and after that he ran a very good race in the Lartigue in Listowel. He disappointed me a little on the flat after that at Gowran, but he’ll go back over hurdles at Fairyhouse at the end of this month and next year, I hope that he’ll develop into a fine, dual-purpose horse. I think handicapping will be his forte and he might run in the odd conditions hurdle. He is lightly raced and on better ground, he might show a good deal of improvement. I had hoped that he might have stayed a bit better on the flat at Gowran (mile and six) than he did, but perhaps the ground made a difference to him - it altered completely that day. I’d say two/two and a quarter will suit him and in time he should get two and a half.
TOBAR NA GAOISE
7yo b g (332/7F/64654)
Whipper - Starchy
J.P. McManus
He has been very accident prone and he has been slightly disappointing. He has had three different accidents, none of which were anyone’s fault. He got brought down one day at Tramore when he injured a shoulder and before that, he had a bit of trouble with a leg. He also had a very bad cut on a hind leg and he is now at stage where he is still a maiden. He is not getting any younger and it is not easy for him. But I still feel that he can win and if he is brave enough to jump a fence, perhaps he might come to hand and show us more on good ground in the spring.