Nicholls is steering Monmiral to Aintree
LEADING juvenile hurdler Monmiral is already earmarked for Aintree in the spring, and will not even be entered in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Paul Nicholls’ French import, who numbers Alex Ferguson among his owners with Ged Mason and John and Lisa Hales, scored with ease on his British debut at Exeter.
He was then upped in class for the Grade Two Summit Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster, where he was an even more impressive winner.
However, Nicholls views him as an embryonic chaser of the future — and Aintree’s Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle is by far this season’s preferred target.
‘Monmiral goes to Haydock for the Victor Ludorum next, then on to Aintree,’ said the champion trainer. ‘He won’t even have an entry in the Triumph Hurdle.
‘John Hales and the other guys are not interested in the Triumph Hurdle — they are interested in chasing.
‘All those good horses I’ve had like Frodon and Clan Des Obeaux have finished down the field in the Triumph Hurdle - but they weren’t Triumph horses, and he is the same.’
Nicholls is confident Liverpool will suit Monmiral much better.
‘The race at Aintree is worth a lot, and it will be a nice track f or him,’ he added.
‘If you are going to be serious about chasing in the future, you have to mind him a bit. He wasn’t purchased for a Triumph Hurdle.’
Meanwhile, Dreal Deal will miss his intended outing in today’s Fairyhouse Racing From Home Webpage Hurdle after suffering a late setback.
Ronan McNally’s charge was due to bid for a sixth win on the bounce in the twomile feature after triumphing three times over hurdles and twice on the Flat since September — progressing from a mark of 84 to his current rating of 141.
The six-year-old is reported to have suffered a stone bruise yesterday, but McNally has not yet ruled out a run in Sunday’s Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Hurdle at Punchestown should he recover in time.
• THE Irish Champion Hurdle has a new sponsor in Chanelle Pharma who have agreed a four-year deal to back the Grade One hurdle until 2024, starting at the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday, February 6.
The Loughrea-based pharmaceutical firm will also sponsor the Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle on Sunday, February 7.
Established in 1950, the Irish Champion Hurdle has an illustrious history with winners such as Hatton’s Grace, Flying Bolt, L’Escargot, Istabraq and Hurricane Fly, who won five years in a row between 2011 and 2015, on its roll of honour.
Henry de Bromhead became the first trainer to win the race with three different horses when Honeysuckle landed the spoils a year ago to follow Sizing Europe in 2008 and Petit Mouchoir (’17).
The entries will be revealed on Thursday.