PAUL FERGUSON
Festival dodgers who will be fit and ready for Aintree
As this month’s edition of Racing Ahead went to print immediately after Cheltenham week, I thought I would highlight half-a-dozen horses who skipped the Festival with Aintree in mind.
BREWIN’UPASTORM (Olly Murphy) – Aintree Hurdle, Thursday
Runner-up in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle – over the same 2m4f trip – at this fixture two years ago, Olly Murphy’s stable-star has reverted to hurdles on his past two starts, and looks back to his very best. Following a confidence-boosting win in a Taunton handicap, he quickened up well to win Fontwell’s Grade 2 National Spirit Hurdle, and this looks the obvious spring target.
Drying ground would be beneficial to his chance, and it is difficult to envisage any of the main protagonists from the Champion Hurdle stepping up in distance; Honeysuckle would be the one, but she has a couple of options at the Punchestown Festival, so is much more likely to remain in Ireland, and I think that will be the case with many of the Irish-trained runners at Cheltenham (if the process isn’t straightforward, I can’t see connections wanting to travel back and forth again, so soon after the Festival).
BURROWS SAINT (Willie Mullins) – Grand National, Saturday
There was no denying how impressive Cloth Cap was at Kelso recently, and he thoroughly deserves his position at the head of the betting for the Randox Health Grand National. However, Jonjo O’Neill’s improving nine-year-old is fairly short now, and will need the weather to be kind, as he is clearly much better on decent ground. The horse who I have been with (from an ante-post perspective) for this year’s big race is Willie Mullins’ 2019 Irish Grand National winner, Burrows Saint. Still only eight and very lightly-raced over fences, he ran twice over hurdles earlier this season before finishing runner-up in the Bobbyjo Chase recently. He appeared to need the run on his reappearance, then the ground was atrocious in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park, so I am prepared to forgive those hurdles runs, and while it would have been nice to see him go and win at Fairyhouse, he did travel notably well throughout. The market suggested he still wasn’t quite at peak fitness that day, and I suspect Mullins has had April 10 in mind since Burrows Saint returned to training in the autumn. He, too, would appreciate a bit of nicer ground; at 16-1 he remains a fair price.
EILEENDOVER (Pam Sly) – Nickel Coin Mares’ Bumper, Thursday
This is likely to be the last time we see Eileendover under NH rules, as she is set to embark on a Flat campaign after contesting the Grade 2 mares’ bumper at Aintree. A filly by Canford Cliffs and from the family of the same connections’ 1,000 Guineas winner Speciosa, she is clearly blessed with plenty of speed and duly won a 1m5½f junior bumper by 29 lengths at Huntingdon on debut. She followed up in similarly emphatic fashion (under a penalty) at Wetherby, before proving her stamina when routing a good-looking field in Listed company at Market Rasen. That form has been well and truly franked since, with Grangee (3rd) winning a
Grade 2 at the Dublin Racing Festival, and Dragon Bones (4th) winning a Listed event on her debut over hurdles for Ian Williams. Clearly versatile in terms of ground conditions, she is likely to take an awful lot of beating around a track that should play to her strengths. I think the decision to skip the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and head straight to Aintree – against her own sex – is one that will prove to be fully vindicated.
HITMAN (Paul Nicholls) – Manifesto Novices’ Chase, Thursday
Five-year-olds tend to find life tough in Grade 1 novice chases in the spring (since the removal of the age allowance) and it might not be until next season and beyond that we fully see the best of Hitman, but the track at Aintree should play to his strengths. He likes to race prominently, and on the whole, he is a sound jumper. He did make one serious error on debut and came down in the Scilly Isles, but he bounced back to win a good-ground novice chase over this trip at Newbury recently, and that should have restored his confidence, as he heads back into Grade 1 company. Nicholls also has Tamaroc du Mathan to consider for this race – following his impressive display in the Grade 2 Pendil Novices’ Chase – and I suspect one will run in the Manifesto, and one will head to Ayr the following week, for the Future Champions Novices’ Chase, a race Nicholls has won seven times since 1994.
MONMIRAL (Paul Nicholls) – Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, Thursday
A couple of Hitman’s owners (one being Sir Alex Ferguson) are also involved with the exciting Monmiral, who is unbeaten in four starts over hurdles. A winner at Auteuil last March, he has improved steadily with each run in England, winning at Exeter, Doncaster (Grade 2) and Haydock, where he drew right away from Nassalam, who had earlier finished runner-up in the Grade 1 Finale Hurdle. A big, chasing type with a huge future ahead of him, Nicholls again made the call to skip the Triumph and head to Aintree, before he will embark on a novice chase campaign in the autumn. A horse with a huge physical presence, I saw him up close at Nicholls’ stable last summer and more recently, at Haydock, and he will be a threat to those who hail from the Triumph. Tritonic is one who appeals as an obvious type for Aintree (given his Flat pace), but soft ground and a test of stamina would enhance the chances of Monmiral, who will relish the extra furlong and long home straight.
MY DROGO (Dan Skelton) – Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, Saturday
Unbeaten in three starts over hurdles, My Drogo is a dual Grade 2 winner and looks set to take this chance in Grade 1 company. Dan Skelton actually stated after his most recent win – in the Premier Novices’ Hurdle at Kelso – that he will be given entries in both the Top Novices’ Hurdle (2m) and the Mersey (2m4f), but I would be shocked if he didn’t turn up in the latter. Skelton has had just three runners in this race previously and they all hit the frame. The well-bred son of Milan – who ought to make up into a very smart novice chaser – appeared to appreciate stepping up to 2m2f at Kelso last time, where he conceded weight to all. Still rather immature, the decision to skip the Festival was probably a wise one, and if the ground is decent, it isn’t hard to envisage him travelling really well over this longer trip.