I’ll Sort That

Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Wednesday)

(On deciding between the Turners and the Albert Bartlett) I think it was a fairly easy decision to make. I speak to his owner David Needham on the phone once a week, and he said that the Albert Bartlett seems to have a negative effect on horses, on their long-term career, and he’d prefer to run him in the Turners and let that be that. If he gets beaten in it, he gets beaten in it, but it won’t be quite as much of a grueller.

If you look back through his form, bar Naas the last day, all his races were over two miles. All the bumpers were over two miles, and all the hurdles were over two miles, he won a Grade 3 over two miles at Navan. His mother won 13 races over six and seven furlongs on the all-weather, so he’s not slow.

(On the ground) He showed blistering speed in Listowel, over two miles on good ground at the Harvest Festival, and you could argue Listowel would be the fastest two miles in the country, and he clocked a savage time.

So, to be honest with you, I actually don’t know what kind of ground he wants. He’s very versatile. Probably the best feel I ever got off him jumping and galloping would be that day in Listowel; I went a serious gallop on him - it’s actually worth watching the replay again.

It was actually a serious performance - he had all the field gone after a mile. But then you ride him at Navan then on heavy ground in the middle of winter, and he plods away, and he’s able to beat off horses through toughness then as well.

He’s a very good horse to work, he’s just out of this world. It’s crazy the ability he has.

(On his mindset approaching the Festival) I’ve got a very positive mindset going in as an underdog, that I might be able to hit in a serious kidney punch. We’re getting a lot of coverage on the local radio stations and in the newspapers around the county. The county is genuinely rooting for us, which means a lot.

Carrigmoornaspruce

Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Thursday)

I’m not 100% sure if she’s Victorious Racing’s first horse in Ireland, but I think she’s their first jumps horse. It’s great to have an owner like that, and hopefully they get some good days out of her.

She looks to have a right good chance going over there; things are going to suit her - left-handed, a nice stiff finish, an extra furlong, back in against mares. She’d a hell of a run at Leopardstown and she came to herself in the spring last year.

She’s a high-class filly and she deserves her chance over there, so if she has a bit of luck on the day, I could definitely see her being in the shake-up.

Tackletommywoowoo

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Friday)

He had a very successful autumn campaign, but then had two little setbacks with a small injury and sickness, so he had a kind of broken passage from December and missed a good five or six weeks.

He would have taken the run at the DRF when the ground was too soft. I think if he can come back to where he was in the autumn, he’d have a real live each-way chance. For someone wanting to have a euro each-way on a horse at 66/1, I don’t think you could go wrong.

He’s owned by a Co Waterford syndicate from Portlaw town; John O’Mahony and Dermot Cullen are kind of the head of that syndicate. The horse has got a massive following around Portlaw, there’s a lot of talk about him heading into the Festival.

They just bought him for small money in the hope of winning a handicap or two, and one year later, they’re going to the Cheltenham Festival. They cannot believe it, it’s just dream stuff.

Wonderwall & Wrappedupinmay

Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase (Friday)

Two of them will run - Wonderwall and Wrappedupinmay, The Great Unknown will stay at home. Wonderwall seems to be in the same form as last year, he’s in great form. He’s had a couple of racecourse gallops that have gone very well.

Wrappedupinmay has won his two point-to-points; he beat Hunters Yarn at Dromahane. He’s in great shape, too. Now, he’d want softer ground than the other horse.

He’d go on nice ground, but it would suit him better if we did have a bit of soft ground. The quicker the ground, the more it will suit Wonderwall.

Padraig Roche

Saratoga

Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle (Tuesday)

He seems in good form, so hopefully we can get him there in one piece. We’re looking forward to running him.

(On whether the drying ground is a concern) He’s a good mover, so I don’t think the ground will be any issue to him.

Con’s Roc

Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase (Friday)

He seems in good form. We’ve been aiming for this race for a while. I suppose on form, he has a good chance. He beat the horse that was third in it last year, and he wasn’t too far away from the horse that was second in it last year on his last run.

Look, he has to go there and probably give a career best to try and win it. We’re hopeful that he can do it anyway.

The softer the ground, the better. He loves heavy ground, so we’ll be doing rain dances. Whichever way it is, we’re hoping to get there in one piece.

We’re looking forward to it. There’s a big crowd going over; there’s a big number in the syndicate and a lot of them are bringing a few friends with them. So there’ll be plenty of support there and hopefully he can do himself justice.

Desertmore House

Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (Wednesday)

We’re looking forward to him. Since he changed to cross-country racing, he’s been a bit of a revelation. It renewed a bit of the old spark in him, he kind of lost it after winning the Kerry National, he went up in the handicap and was finding it a bit more difficult to compete at the level he was rated.

Since he changed to the cross-country, he’s enjoyed it. He’s only had two runs - he was second in the La Touche and he won the Risk Of Thunder at Punchestown in November. The drying ground is more of a positive than a negative for him.

It’s Only A Game

Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Wednesday)

We think he’s quite a nice horse. His first run was very promising, he ran on well to finish second, and then he won at the John Durkan meeting.

We then ran him at Leopardstown, but ground turned against us completely. He got a little bit wound up at the start, so he dropped him in and relaxed well, but he had quite a bit of ground to make in the last half mile or so. He ran on really well, and was only beaten three and a half lengths. I think an improvement in ground might help him as well.

(On whether the occasion of Cheltenham might get to him) I’m hopeful not. Once he jumps off in his races, he’s perfect. It’s just the waiting around, but there’ll be plenty of other horses around him over there. We might put a red hood on him, we haven’t decided yet.

Panda Boy

Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase (Friday)

He was a bit the same (as Desertmore House). Last year, his owners thought he might be worth more selling as a nine-year-old than as a 10-year-old, and I discovered that John Gleeson was looking for something nice, maybe to hunter chase, so I recommended him to his dad and they bought him.

Unfortunately, John missed the ride in Thurles on him, but he rode him in a point-to-point in Ballindenisk and he won on him at Naas.

It’s all positive with him, he’ll love this bit of nicer ground as well. His ideal ground is probably good to yielding, or yielding, or as they say in England, good to soft.

He seems to be enjoying it (hunter chasing) as well - those horses that have been competing in Irish Nationals and Paddy Power Chases, just going that step quicker, and enjoy a discipline where they’re going a gear slower early on. They seem to be a bit more in their comfort zone.

Iceberg Theory

National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase (Tuesday) or Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Thursday)

He looked like he was going to be fourth the last day at Cork, but he hit the line real strong, as if a step up in trip would suit him.

I think this trip will suit him, I think the ground will be ideal for him. If he has enough experience, that’s the main thing, because he wasn’t a point-to-pointer, but touch wood, he seems to jump well and I think he’s an each-way chance.

He’s not the biggest frame of a horse; he’s a light horse. He got a little bit of a setback after his last run, but he’s back on track now and he worked well the other day, and he seems in good nick.

Feet Of A Dancer

Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Wednesday), Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Thursday) or Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Thursday)

(On preference of race) The Coral, if the top weight is declared in it, but I just think the old course, the sharper track, mightn’t suit her that well.

She doesn’t like to be hustled and bustled, and it’ll be very hard to go wide in the Coral.

That said, if the top weight is declared, she’ll have a lovely weight in it. It’s hard to see her turning form with Wodhooh or beating Lossiemouth, and in the Stayers’ she’s going to be a stone wrong, even with the mares’ allowance.

But you never know; she’s in good health and she’s an improving mare. We’re looking forward to getting her there and hopefully she goes well.

Speaking on Racing TV

Irish Panther

Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase (Tuesday) or BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Wednesday)

We entered him in the Champion Chase because it’s one of those races where things happen and it can cut up, in the last number of years in particular. we’ll sit quiet for 24 hours and see if anything materializes. It’s great to have a horse that’s good enough to consider the Champion Chase as a realistic target.

We’re very happy with the preparation. I’d love to have brought him away for a gallop somewhere, but the ground was just so heavy, we decided we’d keep him at home. The facilities at the Curragh are so good that you can do as much as you want at home.