Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
STAMINA CAN FLOOR RIVALS
Progressive Porter aims for Grade 1 hat-trick
REMARKABLY progressive Flooring Porter will make a bold bid to annex his third Grade 1 prize in today’s Punchestown feature – the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle.
The Gavin Cromwell-trained six-year-old has rocketed up the ratings since winning his maiden at Bellewstown in August 2019, when rated only 95. His handicap breakthrough came off 105 in October of the same year.
This season he has been a revelation since winning off 122 at Gowran Park last July. He caused a serious stir when making all to land the Grade B ECOMM Merchant Solutions Handicap Hurdle at Navan in early December, racing off 136 and slamming reliable yardstick The Bosses Oscar.
Upped 14lb for that 12-length win, he stepped into Grade 1 company at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting in the Leopardstown Christmas Hurdle.
And he delivered again, dictating the pace and staying on powerfully up the straight to beat The Storyteller by six lengths.
The Storyteller is in the field again today, along with Fury Road (fourth), French Dynamite (fifth) and Bacardys (pulled up).
There’s no reason to suggest Flooring Porter will not confirm Leopardstown form, unless his even more gruelling performance in Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle has taken its toll.
With Danny Mullins deputising for the injured Jonathan Moore, Flooring Porter produced another awesome front-running display and, despite a mistake two from home, his stamina kicked-in again as he powered up the hill to beat Sire Du Berlais, former champion Paisley Park and one of today’s rivals Beacon Edge.
Stable-jockey Moore is back on board Flooring Porter today. He has won twice going right-handed and, rated 164, he sets a decent standard.
If Cromwell’s staying star is below par, the Matt Smith-trained Ronald Pump might be best-placed to take advantage.
Runner-up to Lisnagar Oscar in last year’s Stayers at Cheltenham, he hasn’t been seen since getting within a half-length of the mighty Honeysuckle in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse in November – he was a late withdrawal (with a stone-bruise) at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Most of the others are held by Flooring Porter on form, notably Beacon Edge and The Storyteller.
And it will be fascinating to see how two Cheltenham heroines fare as they step into the big-time.
Paul Hennessy runs his spectacular Coral Cup winner Heaven Help Us, with Richie Condon again in the saddle, while Bryan Cooper (inset) will maintain his association with Paul Nolan’s Mrs Milner, who landed the Pertemps
Final in Cheltenham.
Both mares, although facing a very tough task, can be relied upon to run their race in a field in which Willie Mullins runs
Bacardys, Klassical Dream, Saldier and dark horse
James Du Berlais.
And Norman Lee pitches his stable star Sole Pretender – impressive after a lengthy lay-off at
Cork recently – in at the deep end. If he settles, he could run a big race, at a big price.