Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MINT IMPERIAL
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3 1 IMPERIAL AURA 2 MELON 3 KALASHNIKOV
IMPERIAL AURA got no further than the second fence in his Ryanair Chase prep race – but that isn’t a deal-breaker.
There is already one Cheltenham Festival victory on the Kim Bailey trainee’s curriculum vitae – he beat Galvin (a winner on Tuesday) by three and a quarter lengths in the final running of the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase here 12 months ago. And the eightyear-old has continued his progress this season, starting witha two-and-aquarter-length margin over Windsor Avenue in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle in November.
Then, lining up against three opponents for the Grade 2 1965 Chase at Ascot 20 days later, Imperial Aura posted another personal best.
In the vanguard throughout under David Bass, the son of Kalanisi beat last season’s Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase winner Itchy Feet.
Imperial Aura used Kempton’s Silviniaco Conti Chase in January as his springboard to today but, reportedly distracted by a shadow, hit the second obstacle and discharged his jockey.
That was an uncharacteristic error from a very sound jumper and the Andoversford gelding is fancied to be the local boy made good for the second year in a row.
Willie Mullins throws three darts at the board – Allaho, Melon and last year’s winner, Min – and the trio are hard to split.
Mister Fisher and Fakir D’oudairies have definite claims, while Kalashnikov is probably best at this trip and makes the most appeal of those at bigger odds.
NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3 1 PAISLEY PARK 2 SIRE DU BERLAIS 3 IF THE CAP FITS
PAISLEY PARK saw his career come off the rails when defending his Stayers’ Hurdle crown 12 months ago – but he’s back on track now.
Having lifted the Thursday feature from Sam Spinner in 2019, Emma Lavelle’s star – who in the meantime had stretched his unbeaten sequence to seven – went off the 4-6 hotpot to stage a repeat 12 months ago.
But Paisley Park suffered from atrial fibrillation in coming back a well-beaten seventh behind 50-1 winner Lisnagar Oscar.
Given 260 days to recuperate, Aidan Coleman’s mount returned in search of a repeat Long Distance Hurdle success at Newbury in November and emerged with plenty of credit when a length and a half second to Thyme Hill.
The winner had been in receipt of 3lb that day but on level weights for the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot in December, Paisley Park took revenge, overhauling his rival by a neck to regain the prize he had captured in 2018.
That Cheltenham’s Cleeve Hurdle in January succumbed to bad weather was a source of irritation, but Lavelle reports Paisley Park to be thriving.
Thyme Hill’s defection last Friday leaves Irish challengers Sire Du Berlais and Flooring Porter as the chief threats in the market.
Flooring Porter had his compatriot back in third – The Storyteller divided the pair in second – when setting a funeral cortège gallop en route to claiming the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown in December but will find a soft lead harder to come by.
Lisnagar Oscar could do with some rain and a good run from If The Cap Fits isn’t out of the question.