PARK LIFE!
Lavelle’s stable star out to put heart trouble behind him to reclaim crown
EMMA Lavelle is hoping Paisley Park brings his ‘A game’ as he bids to regain his Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle crown on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Lavelle’s stable star looked the top staying hurdler around when notching up seven wins in a row, the highlight being his victory in the Grade One feature at Prestbury Park in 2019.
But he was found to be suffering from a heart problem when only finishing a disappointing seventh in the defence of his crown in last year’s renewal.
The nine-year-old, though, has bounced back to near his best this season, when second to Thyme Hill in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, before reversing the form in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.
And Lavelle is hopeful he can land a second victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle today.
She said: “He’s done everything he needs to. He’s in really good order. Now we’ve got to bring our A game to the track on the day.
“Everything has gone as we wanted. The Cleeve did not happen, but that’s how it was. He’s had a racecourse gallop since then. He’s ticked over really well and, touch wood, he seems in good form. These races are always going to be competitive. It’s sad that his sparring partner of this season (Thyme Hill) isn’t going to be there but, hopefully, it will all go to plan.
“The first year when he was winning and everything went to plan, it was just very smooth, very easy and just brilliant.
“Last year we had to do a bit more work with him. This year he seems like he was in his first year. He’s stronger and very up much up for everything we’ve asked of him, so hopefully it will go smoothly in the race as well.”
With Thyme Hill ruled out due to injury, last year’s shock winner – the Rebecca Curtis-trained Lisnagar Oscar – is one of the main challengers to Paisley Park after his recent second at Haydock Park.
Denise Foster – who took over already this week – leads the Irish challenge with three runners.
Fury Road is joined by dual Pertemps Final winner Sire Du Berlais and another Cheltenham Festival scorer, The Storyteller, who is also still entered in the Randox Grand National.
Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter won a Grade One at Leopardstown over Christmas and is another Irish raider along with Willie Mullins’ Bacardys and the Neol Meade-trained Beacon Edge.
Another interesting contender is Harry Fry’s If The Cap Fits, who won the equivalent race – formerly the Liverpool Hurdle – at Aintree’s Grand National meeting two years ago.