SUPA HEROES

Harrington marvels at fitness of her Festival entries

NOEL FEHILY will sit on his Timico Gold Cup mount Our Duke for the first time this morning.

And reigning champion Sizing John is set to work and, or, school at Leopardstown over the weekend.

Both plans, revealed by Jessica Harrington yesterday, are weather-dependent as the countdown to the Cheltenham Festival gathers pace.

Harrington reported both of her Gold Cup candidates “in fantastic form” adding “it’s very hard to split them,” ahead of their big test on Friday week, March 16.

She said of last year’s Gold Cup victor: “Sizing John had a hiccup at Christmas, but he’s been tugging along nicely and is coming down to his racing weight. He still has a bit to do this week, although he worked yesterday, because of the bad forecast.

“He might go to Leopardstown on Monday (after racing) or Tuesday morning – he’ll jump a few fences or gallop on the flat there. We’re on song with him. But we will have to get him there in one piece and then hope for the best.”

And the trainer stressed, when quizzed about Robbie Power’s commitment to ride Sizing John: “It’s a non-story – Robert is contracted to ride the Potts horses.”

On the decision to run

Our Duke in the recent Red Mills

Chase in Gowran

Park, where he beat

Presenting Percy,

Harrington said: “I wouldn’t have run him there if he hadn’t made that mistake in the

Irish Gold Cup.

“He didn’t have a hard race at Leopardstown and needed another race before travelling over.

“He decided to bulldoze one fence out of the way in Gowran. He has the habit of not concentrating when he’s hacking along. But Robert has always said he has a high cruising speed and jumps better when he’s going faster.”

Asked about the instructions she’ll give Fehily, inset, ahead of his ride on Our Duke she quipped: “Go around, jump and come home in front,” before adding: “You don’t give those good jockeys instructions.”

And she responded quickly to a question about her Gold Cup opposition – “I hate every single one of them.”

Harrington, whose dual-purpose team at Commonstown now includes more than 40 two-year-olds, will send a small, but select, team of just five to Cheltenham, with Stayers Hurdle favourite Supasundae a strong back-up to the stable’s Gold Cup horses.

“He’s very laid-back and is a much better horse this year,” the trainer said of Supasundae.

“He’s jumping and travelling much better and wants good ground.

“He was a tired horse, at the end of a tough season, when he was beaten by Yanworth in Aintree last year. But he’s a fresh horse this spring.

She added: “He’s probably not a proper two-miler (although he beat Faugheen in the Irish Champion Hurdle). He won the Coral Cup at Cheltenham last year and will have no problem with the three miles this time. He can be dropped in and will pick-up.”

Harrington’s Cheltenham team will be completed by last year’s winner Rock The World and Don’t Touch It in the Festival finale, the Grand Annual – weights for the meeting’s handicaps will be published today.

Meanwhile, Harrington will focus on warmer climes on March 31 when Torcedor will contest the two-mile Dubai Gold Cup (Group 2) on World Cup night at Meydan.