Penhill ruled out of Stayers’ defence
PENHILL will miss the defence of his Stayers’ Hurdle crown at the Cheltenham Festival after Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old picked up an injury going through his final preparations.
Also a Festival winner when scoring in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle two years ago, Penhill has been lightly raced in recent seasons and scored at the Cotswolds last year on his seasonal reappearance.
Mullins had hoped to work the oracle and do likewise this year but the Closutton maestro has been forced to abandon plans after the Mount Nelson gelding – owned by Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom – encountered a setback.
“We worked him yesterday (Tuesday) – and when we pulled him out this morning, he was very sore. Unfortunately, he won’t make the Festival,” Mullins said yesterday.
Penhill – a general 6/1 shot before being ruled out of a repeat bid – has not been seen since chasing home Faugheen at the Punchestown Festi- val last April and his stablemate now holds Mullins’s best chance in the three-mile showpiece.
Faugheen (6/1) aims to land a famous Festival double having claimed the 2015 Champion Hurdle but Emma Lavelle’s vastly-improved Paisley Park (7/4 favourite) may prove a tough nut to crack, as will last year’s runner-up Supasundae (8/1), should Jessica Harrington opt for the Stayers’ over the Champion Hurdle.
Meanwhile, Mullins has an unusually small hand with just two runners in this year’s Champion Bumper as he bids for his tenth success in the race.
Victorious
Mullins was victorious 12 months ago with Relegate and had five of the first seven home, but relies on the well-fancied Blue Sari (4/1) – recently purchased by JP McManus – as well as Mt Leinster (16/1) this time around.
Irish raiders have a fantastic record in the second-day finale winning 19 of its 26 runnings and Gordon Elliott – winner of the Irish Independent Leading trainer Award for the past two years – saddles the unbeaten Envoi
Allen (7/2 favourite).
The Meath trainer also runs Abacadabras (12/1) and Daylight Katie (20/1) while the 12 Irish entries feature a pair of runners from Joseph O’Brien, Sempo (12/1) and Meticulous (12/1), as well as Liz Doyle’s Barnes Des Mottes (25/1) and Bois De Clamart (33/1).
Mullins has a sizeable team in the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle – which he has won all three runnings of to date – with 13 of the 40 entries including Sancta Simona (12/1) and My Sister Sarah (25/1).
The leading Irish fancy, however, is Henry de Bromhead’s Honeysuckle (7/2 second favourite) – unbeaten in four career starts and last seen when landing a Fairyhouse Grade Three last month – while Nicky Henderson houses the market leader in the McManus-owned Epatante (5/2).
Elsewhere, Tiger Roll is set off for a busy few months as Elliott’s nine-yearold bids to complete another remarkable double by landing Cheltenham’s Cross Country Chase and the Aintree National for the second year running.