THE Willie Mullins’ camp has expressed doubts over Kopek Des Bordes lining up in the Grade 3 Barberstown Castle Chase (2.39) at Naas tomorrow, but Patrick Harty only had positive things to say about his and his father’s stable star, Irish Panther.

“He had a nice time off over the summer; he’s done very well for it,” Patrick Harty told The Irish Field. “He appears to be as good as ever, and we’re looking forward to Sunday.”

Bought online for 18,000gns in October 2024, the Lucarno gelding placed in a listed hurdle the following April and showed he runs well fresh when bolting up in a maiden hurdle at Clonmel that October.

Harty sees no reason why the now nine-year-old won’t run well fresh again on Sunday. “Last year he had a run under his belt before he went to Naas for his beginners chase,” he explains.

“It was a formality when he won his maiden hurdle in Clonmel, but I would say he runs well fresh. He’s definitely quite an easy horse to get fit - the main thing is not over galloping him, really. I feel he’s more than straight enough for his first run of the year, and we expect him to run to a good level.”

After that maiden victory over hurdles, Irish Panther went on to impress on his chase debut here, following up with a narrow defeat to Romeo Coolio in the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival. Connections are plotting a similar path with him this season.

Future plans

“The obvious route for us is Naas on Sunday, and then Leopardstown on the 27th of December for the Grade 1 open chase (Paddy Power Chase),” Patrick Harty reported. “He likes it around there; he almost won a Grade 1 last year over the same course and distance. We haven’t thought beyond that.”

Irish Panther’s chase debut came on soft ground, but his previous win, first Grade 1 placing and most recent run, when runner-up in the Garde 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase at Punchestown, all came on yielding ground, so unlike Closutton, the Hartys have little reason to curse the drier ground, with Naas currently describing the track as good to yielding.

“He’s got form on everything,” Harty commented. “I would say the better the ground, the better he is. As a very simplistic rule, he’s a light-framed sort of horse with a great action, so I would say good ground will pose no problem to him.”

Regarding the current market leader, Patrick Mullins said: “We will have a look at the ground at Naas for Kopek Des Bordes. He schooled with Paul [Townend] last week and worked the other morning and is very well. He is ready to rock, and we need to get runs and experience into him, after his interrupted preparation last season. If we’re happy with the ground at Naas, we’ll go.”