FRONT ROE RUNNER
IRISH ROE is out to land a blow for National Hunt die-hards everywhere when she runs in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham next week.
Trainer Peter Atkinson is a pig farmer who is responsible for just one other horse in Northallerton, North Yorkshire but that has not stopped Irish Roe winning all of her three races to date.
The most recent of those was when she dead-heated in a Listed event at Cheltenham in November to gain valuable experience on the course which is something none of the market leaders can boast.
Picked up for a paltry £2,000 as a three-year-old, she is now six and carries the hopes of a community down to Gloucestershire.
Atkinson’s wife, Lucinda, is an international event rider and point-to-point trainer.
She admits to being so close to having a runner at the biggest Festival of them all is the “stuff of dreams”.
Lucinda said: “We know what can happen with horses, and there is still a week to go, but the plan is still to head down there.
“She’s very easy to work. We take her up to Middleham with a point-to-pointer of ours and we think she’s in good form.
“She just does her work and that’s it but, of course, we’ve never been in this situation before.
“Whether we’ve done enough with her we won’t know until the day but all the signs suggest she’s in good form. Where else could you go with her? Yes, there’s Aintree but we might never get the chance of another runner at Cheltenham again.
“It’s the stuff of dreams and she only cost £2,000.”
HORSE Racing Ireland chief executive Brian Kavanagh believes Gigginstown House Stud’s nine possible runners from 10 entries in a Grade Three at Naas on Sunday advertises the owners’ “strength in depth”.
The Tom Mullins-trained Oscar Knight is the only horse in the Naas Directors Novice Chase not owned by Michael O’Leary’s organisation.
Kavanagh, though, only sees positives in Gigginstown’s unwavering support of Irish National Hunt racing.
He said: “They have a strong team and another aspect of it is that a lot of other trainers are keeping their powder dry with Cheltenham in mind.
“It just goes to show their strength in depth and their continued support for Irish racing.”