HIGHLAND Crystal’s smooth success in the listed juvenile fillies’ hurdle at Newbury on Friday boosted Gordon Elliott and Brian Acheson’s hopes ahead of Teahupoo’s bid for a third win in the Bar 1 Betting Hatton’s Grace Hurdle (2.36) at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
The star stayer is currently favourite for the race, while stablemate Romeo Coolio is much the shortest in the Bar 1 Racing Drinmore Novice Chase (2.05), with Jack Kennedy set to partner both.
KTDA Racing’s Romeo Coolio will be joined by stablemate Pied Piper in a field of six, and Elliott had only positive things to say about the favourite at a press morning earlier this week.
“Romeo Coolio’s got good form, he’s a good horse,” he said.
“I’ve always thought jumping fences would be his job and would be the making of him. I think two and a half is his trip; he could come back to two miles but two and a half is his trip.”
Like many top-class chasers, Romeo Coolio began his career in point-to-points, his impressive debut in a maiden previously won by Best Mate rewarding Donnchadh Doyle with a sale of £420,000 to Elliott and Aidan ‘Mouse’ O’Ryan.
Form boost
Runner-up in in the Cheltenham Champion Bumper, he gained his Grade 1 by nine lengths in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle and, if his trainer’s prediction comes true, he could be even better over fences.
His 14-length romp on chase debut at Down Royal didn’t do anything to dash those hopes, and the runner-up, Koktail Divin, subsequently boosted the form when beaten three lengths in the Grade 2 Florida Pearl Novice Chase last weekend.
Gold Dancer is a more recent arrival on our radar, though Willie Mullins and Gigginstown House Stud’s French import was sent off 16/1 for a Grade 1 novice hurdle on his stable debut last year. The Doctor Dino gelding turned a corner in a beginners’ chase at Tipperary in May, followed up with a win in a Grade 3 at Galway and another by an even wider margin at Tipperary last month.
Drier ground was the common denominator for his three wins, though his maiden win in France did come on heavy ground. Eoin Griffin’s representative, Ol Man Dingle, produced his career-best performance on good-to-yielding ground when winning a Grade 3 novice chase at Cork last time out.
The weather forecast suggests that the ground will provide a level playing field on Sunday, with the going described as yielding to soft, soft in places on Friday. Breezy weather and 2-5mm rain is forecast in the interim.
Adding intrigue to the Drinmore Novice Chase is Willie Mullins’ booking of Harry Cobden for Captain Cody, the combination having captured the Scottish Grand National on the seven-year-old’s final start last season.
Time for Tea
As for the Hatton’s Grace, a trip to Ascot was an option for Teahupoo, so Elliott’s decision to stay home suggests that the he is particularly keen on his chances. After reporting the eight-year-old to be “in great form,” the trainer continued: “I was thinking of going to Ascot for the Long Walk but, with the way the ground is, we should be going to Fairyhouse.”
The ground was described as soft when Teahupoo won the two-and-a-half-mile hurdle in 2022 and 2023, while it was yielding when he chased home Lossiemouth 12 months ago.
Willie Mullins’ star mare, of course, opted to go to Punchestown instead this time for the Morgiana Hurdle, with stablemates Ballyburn and Mystical Power representing Closutton at Fairyhouse this year. Paul Townend maintains his partnership with Ballyburn, having been aboard throughout his novice chase campaign last season, which yielded a Grade 1 win, but paled in comparison to his hurdling exploits; his three Grade 1 wins coming by over 23 lengths combined.
Casheldale Lad and Maxxum complete a three-strong challenge by Gordon Elliott, while Glen Kiln makes a quick return for Harry Kelly and Michael Bowe, following his 19-length second to Lossiemouth at 28/1 last weekend.