TWO years ago trainer Colin McBratney and rider Noel McParlan looked set to record their first successes at the Cheltenham Festival as Carsonstown Boy, having made most of the running, was still in the lead jumping the final fence in the Foxhunters’ Chase.

Cruelly for connections however, the brave front-running performance was undone in the final 150 yards as fellow Northern challengers, James Smyth and Tammys Hill, stayed on much the stronger to score by three and a quarter lengths, setting off wild celebrations.

Partnered by McParlan, J.T. Monaghan’s Carstonstown Boy finished fourth in the same race last year behind the Enda Bolger-trained On The Fringe and is due to be among the runners once more next Friday.

This time though, there will be a new rider in the saddle as McParlan will be on board stable-companion Marito when the field sets off over the Gold Cup course and distance.

Previously trained for Susannah Ricci by Willie Mullins, Marito made a winning start in the colours of owners James Marley and Samuel Downey when landing a listed chase at Tramore on New Year’s Day 2014.

Debut

He was then out of action until the following November when, making his point-to-point debut at the North Downs’ autumn meeting in Kirkistown, the Alkade gelding won the open impressively by eight lengths from Oscar Barton.

A return visit to Tramore for the listed chase on January 1st last year saw Marito finished second, eight lengths adrift, to Roi Du Mee and he then continued racing on the track until 11th in the Galway Plate at the end of July.

The decision to send the German-bred back between the flags this season has seen him win on two of his three starts, his only defeat coming at the Ward Union meeting outside Oldtown last month when he went down by half a length to Aupcharlie who is also Cheltenham bound.

“He was a 153 horse at one stage, but is not great giving weight away,” said McBratney of the German-bred. “He’s always been a talented horse, finishing a close second to Hurricane Fly in a Grade 1 hurdle at Punchestown one day. As you can see from his record, he has had one or two problems along the way but hopefully we can get him to Cheltenham in good shape.

“Noel, who is one of the better amateurs, gets on very well with him and he rides the track well. Carsonstown Boy is in great form too and will come on a lot for finishing second at Armagh a couple of weeks back.”

Having his first run since also filling the runner-up spot well behind the ill-fated You Must Know Me at Toomebridge in late September, Carsonstown Boy was beaten three lengths at the Tynan & Armagh fixture by Current Exchange who, too, could well line-up at Prestbury Park. That Gordon Elliott-trained runner came home all of 15 lengths behind Marito when the pair finished first and second in the hunters’ chase at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day.

McParlan has ridden both Marito and Carsonstown Boy almost exclusively in their hunt racing forays so what made the dual northern champion rider opt for the younger horse when a choice had to be made between the pair?

Class

“Marito jumps well, travels well and, in his point-to-points, has shown that he stays well. Also, he has a lot of class,” stated McParlan who has ridden four times at the festival. “He needs to arrive there in good form and I’ll have a good idea how he is when he gets to the start.”

Noel and his father Sean have eight horses riding out at their Co Down yard but like others, the rider has been suffering from a shortage of mounts in points with the number of runners so low this season. However, he is lying second on the regional table with eight wins from 60 rides.

Depending on the weights, another due to head to Cheltenham from McBratney’s Raffrey yard is Topper Thornton who McParlan rides in the Fulke Walwyn Handicap Chase for amateur riders on the Thursday.

Richard Behan and Steven Wylie’s seven-year-old Double Eclipse gelding has won three times this season, most recently at Down Royal early last month when he beat Kilford, a winner at Navan two weeks ago, into second by five and a half lengths.

“Gordon Elliott’s Altiepix, who was fourth that day, and John Carr’s Fergiethelegend, who was fifth, have also gone on to win since,” commented McBratney. “Our horse has progressed well all year and I’d like to see him line up. He goes on most ground but doesn’t like it sticky.”

McBratney made his own bit of history as the first northern trainer in 35 years to win the Galway Plate when Cathal McGovern’s Ballyholland took the chasing feature at Ballybrit’s summer festival back in 2009. McParlan however holds the bragging rights when it comes to riding at Cheltenham.

“I never did get to ride there,” revealed McBratney who too was one of the leading amateurs of his day. “I was meant to ride The Bald Joker in the Foxhunters one year but he got a stone bruise two days before he was due to travel and that was that.”