Antrim Coast
5yo br g (8212)
Presenting - Zuzka
Basil Holian
He’s gone to Garvan [Donnelly] on a break, and he’ll come in again in another week or so. He could be a Ballymore or an Albert Bartlett horse. He’s still raw and green, and when he learns he’ll be able to cope with two and a half miles. He stayed three miles fine at Cheltenham when second in a novice hurdle there last month but was just beaten by a horse a year older, a more race-hardened horse. He’s certainly sharpening up with racing.
Ask Anything
5yo b g (31549-12)
Ask - Maghanns Pride
Macatwi Partnership
We bought him last year [for £90,000 after winning a point-to-point] and raced him through the season in bumpers; he was finishing fourth and fifth and was running a nice race, but that was it. Thankfully, he won his maiden hurdle first time out this season at Limerick and ran well at Navan last weekend when just finding one too good. Hopefully he’s a nice horse this season. He has a mark of 115 now, and I might go for a beginners’ chase restricted to horses rated 116 or less over hurdles at Clonmel [on December 7th]. He’s a chaser in the making.
Bioluminescence
5yo b m (12-2)
Walk In The Park - Molly Round
John P McManus
She ran a good race when second in a mares’ maiden hurdle at Navan last weekend. I was slightly disappointed at the time, but she went to the line well and we’ll take the positives out of it. She is a lovely mare and hopefully there’s plenty to come from her.
Brides Hill
6yo b m ((3221PF-1)
Dylan Thomas - Wedding Cake
Brides Hill Syndicate
She’s going for the mares’ handicap chase over two and a half miles at Fairyhouse next weekend. She’ll be top-weight in that. I’m not sure where but we might travel with her later in the season as there are some great pots in the UK when it comes to those mares’ races.
Encanto Bruno
5yo b g (1/110-1P1)
Mahler – Stratosphere
Derek Kierans
All being well, he will run in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse next weekend. Hopefully the ground doesn’t get too soft, and the forecast looks good. He’s very quick over his hurdles. He doesn’t show that type of speed at home. He stays well – he stayed two and a half miles at Cheltenham – and hopefully a bit of experience will stand with him.
Final Orders
7yo b g (111115F-0149)
Camelot - Trapeze
C M D Syndicate
He’s fine after finishing down the field in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last weekend but, in hindsight, we shouldn’t have run him. The ground was too soft, and a bit poached as well. It was hard work.
Flooring Porter
8yo b g (/F212/4443-91)
Yeats - Lillymile
Flooring Porter Syndicate
He’s in great shape and I’m looking forward to getting him out at Punchestown [today] in the Florida Pearl Novice Chase. Obviously, it’s his first time going right-handed since he ran in the Punchestown Stayers’ Hurdle three years ago. He’s a lot more mature now and hopefully an easier ride, and it’s on the chase track at Punchestown – a big track. With the timing of it, if we’re ever going to try going right- handed, it’s now. We can still go to Leopardstown at Christmas back left-handed. And it looks like an obvious race for him, so why not? He jumped pretty straight at Cheltenham on his first start over fences last time. He’s settled down more now that he’s a year older.
Hascoeur Clermont
6yo gr g (-P893U11)
Montmartre - Kalidria Beauchene
Riverview Racing Syndicate
We were delighted to see him win the amateur riders’ handicap chase at Cheltenham last weekend. If he went up a few pounds, he could be a Kim Muir horse. I might go to the December Cheltenham meeting with him, for a staying handicap chase. He was fantastic the last day– he ran clean away with Noel McParlan and still won. He got 8lb of a rise for that run.
Hypotenus
4yo ch g (2P-2616)
Lope De Vega - Mathematicienne
Derek Kierans
He’ll probably go for the Grade 3 Willow Warm Hurdle at Fairyhouse next weekend. In one way, you’d rather it was another week from his last run in the Fishery Lane at Naas, but he seems to have come back from that well, and the plan is to run.
Inothewayurthinkin
5yo b g (11434-2)
Walk In The Park - Sway
John P McManus
He’s declared for another beginners’ chase at Punchestown [today]. He ran well at Fairyhouse on his chasing debut when second earlier this month.
Letsbeclearaboutit
8yo b g (/242144-11)
Flemensfirth - Clarification
Alymer Stud
The Drinmore Novice Chase is the plan for him next weekend at Fairyhouse. He came out of his win in Grade 3 company at Cork in great form. It was a good run, and he jumps very well, touch wood. He looks like a chaser, and, in hindsight, we probably should have gone chasing with him last year. He missed a season with injury, after his bumper year, but there’s not that many miles on the clock so hopefully there’s still plenty of good races to be had. Keith said he ran away with him and over-travelled at Cheltenham last season, so to finish fourth in an Albert Bartlett after doing that was a fair run. The fact he has taken to fences so well, you’d have to be optimistic about him. More jumping just puts a lid on him. He jumps so well and gains so much with his jumping; he has the gears to travel and could even come back in trip. I’ve actually just given him an entry in the two-mile-and-one-furlong chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. He’s entered at Limerick as well, but I didn’t enter him for three miles.
Limerick Lace
6yo b m (521123-12
Walk In The Park - Sway
John P McManus
It was a great effort to finish second to Coko Beach in the Troytown last weekend. She has an entry in the Paddy Power and after that I don’t know. I’d be flexible trip-wise with her. You can’t say she didn’t stay three miles in the Troytown; she just got outstayed by one horse, who is a dour stayer.
Malina Girl
6yo br m (123P1P-01)
Malinas - Western Cowgirl
Mrs J M Russell
I can’t believe she’s got to the level that she has. She’s 15.2 or 15.3 hands – a tiny little thing with little spindly legs on her – and you wouldn’t believe she’s now rated 145 over fences after winning well at Cheltenham last weekend. I see she’s getting quotes for the Grand National at Aintree and I’d say there is a good chance she could go there. Those extended trips bring out the best in her but she wouldn’t want the ground too good either, even though you’d think she’d hop off the ground with her physique. I haven’t a plan made yet for her.
My Mate Mozzie
7yo b g (/248/03-321)
Born To Sea - Leo’s Spirit
Alymer Stud
He’s on a break but I’ve given him an entry for Christmas. It doesn’t take very much to get him ready. He would be far from certain to run at Christmas but if he’s ready, he might, and if not, he’ll go to Leopardstown [for the Dublin Racing Festival]. He could possibly be a Grand Annual horse.
Only By Night
5yo b m (FF13-11)
Affinisea - Leyhill
Mrs J M Russell
A lovely mare who won very nicely in the listed mares’ bumper at Navan last weekend. She’s only five and looks like a chaser in the making. We’ll probably go hurdling with her. I was very undecided at the weekend and Derek O’Connor got off her and didn’t know anything that would beat her in bumpers for the rest of the season. It’s a bold statement, and you wouldn’t know what Willie [Mullins] would come out with, but I think we’ll go hurdling because she’s five rising six. If you go hurdling next year, you’re six rising seven, and next thing you’re seven rising eight going chasing.
Pinot Gris
3yo gr g -(3)
Mastercraftsman - Zamira
Basil Holian
He’s on a little break after what I thought was a nice first run over hurdles when third at Fairyhouse earlier this month.
Perceval Legallois
6yo bb g (U12241-1F)
Ballingarry - Mrs Percival
John P McManus
He could run in the Drinmore. I’ll have a chat with connections and we’ll decide then but he’s in good nick. He was running a big race last time out [when falling three fences from home in the Grade 3 won by Letsbeclearaboutit]. It was too far out to call, but he certainly wasn’t finished with.
Redstone
5yo ch g (F-1)
Soldier Of Fortune - Kilbarry Gem
Alymer Stud
He was impressive when winning his maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse last month. I’m unlikely to run him in the Royal Bond as he might find the step up coming too quickly. I ran Path D’oroux in it last year, and I think I threw him in the deep end too soon. Redstone is a big horse who I like and if I give him a chance, he could be a good horse.
Shahbaz
3yo gr g (Flat: -3632444)
Free Eagle- Middle Persia
We hope he should be a nice horse. We bought him from off the flat out of Charlie Fellowes’ yard at the sales in Newmarket last month [for 75,000gns]. We’ve been schooling him but he won’t run for a few weeks yet.
Springt De La Mare
4yo gr g (1-1)
No Risk At All - Springa De La Mare
Alymer Stud
He won a bumper at Navan last weekend but I still think there’s plenty of improvement to be got from him. He’s a big baby and hopefully he will keep improving.
Stumptown
6yo br g (537112P-48)
Laverock - Active Fieldgale
Furze Bush Syndicate
He goes to the Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Newbury [on December 2nd]. That is his target and I hope the ground remains on the nicer side. He certainly doesn’t want it too deep. I think the English fences suit him. He’s inclined to get in deep to a fence, as he did at Killarney - and made a mistake - but he seems to get away with it a bit easier in the UK. I hope the top-weight Ahoy Senor stays in. I’d say Johnny Burke will probably ride him as he won on him at Sandown, but I’m not certain. Maybe Sean [Flanagan] will ride him. I’d be thinking of the Irish Grand National further down the line too.
The King Of Prs
5yo b g (/61F0-9411)
Dansant - Sweet Youghal Bay
Damien Dillon
It was nice to see him get another win on the board at Wexford last week on his first start over fences. He loves that soft ground and will probably have to go into a handicap now.
The Other Mozzie
4yo br g (F2-52)
Vadamos - Leo’s Spirit
Pique Syndicate
A half-brother to My Mate Mozzie. I think we will stick to bumpers this season. He pulled very hard at Galway in a bumper last month and just didn’t help himself in the race. The ground was fairly testing as well. He did pretty well to finish second, and I’d say the winner [Butcher Hollow] is good. This horse goes well too and I think he’s up to winning a bumper.
The Passing Wife
4yo b g (1-4)
Passing Glance - Red Wifey
Cant Say No Syndicate
A grand horse who ran well in a Cork maiden hurdle [when fourth to Dee Capo]. He’s probably not one who I could see rocking up and winning a bumper on his first run, but I think he’ll win one somewhere.
Vanillier
8yo gr g (3/636F22-)
Martaline - Virgata
Mrs H M Keaveney
He hasn’t run since finishing second in last year’s Grand National. He had a slight setback but he’s coming to hand quicker than I thought so he is going to run at Thurles [on November 30th] in a listed chase over two miles and six furlongs. It’s for horses who haven’t won a race worth €50,000 in the last two years and he doesn’t have a penalty in it, so it’ll be a good race to start off in. He has Grade 1 entries at Christmas, but he might go to the Kinloch Brae in the new year. I’d say he’ll almost definitely run in the Bobbyjo Chase in the spring, with the weights out for the Grand National at Aintree by that stage. All roads lead to Aintree with him.
Yeah Man
6yo b g (052210-2F)
Westerner - Baraza
J R Brennan & Martin Hannan
The Porterstown might have been an option for him but there’s a £100,000 handicap chase over three miles and two furlongs at the December meeting at Cheltenham, and he might go there. He came out of his last start at Ascot grand [when falling at the final fence as he closed down on the leader]. It was just a pity for it to happen as we were already running him from out of the handicap.