Joseph O'Brien talks us through his leading hopes for the Cheltenham Festival, headed by JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Sir Erec and Arkle contender Le Richebourg.
SIR EREC (Triumph Hurdle)
Obviously he’s taken to hurdling well. He ran a nice race first time and he improved a good wee bit the second run, he’ll have to step up again but we’d be hopeful he’s capable of doing so.
Maybe the field might not be as big but all the good ones will still be there, it’s going to be a competitive race and by far his biggest task so far. He’ll have to run a career-best to win it so we’re very realistic in that sense.
He’s won on pretty good ground his last two runs at Leopardstown and he won a Listed race on heavy ground on the Flat, so he seems pretty versatile.
On sectionals it was a messy enough race. He had an uncontested lead and sprinted away from them, so when you break it down it was messy enough.
We’ve never hidden the regard we’ve held him in, he was obviously a good horse on the Flat and he’s very exciting.
FAKIR D'OUDAIRIES (Sky Bet Supreme Novices’, Ballymore, Triumph)
He has entries in some of the novice races and obviously the decision will be made at the last minute I would say. JP [McManus], me and Frank [Berry] will make the decision, he looked very good at Cheltenham the last day and he’d have a good chance wherever he ends up.
It would make sense to split them up, we have Gardens Of Babylon there as well, and Sir Erec doesn’t have entries in the novice races whereas Fakir does, so the logical thing would be for him to go for one of the novice races and Sir Erec to go to the Triumph.
The horses have to get there in one piece, so horses are going to fall by the wayside.
I actually have no problem in running horses against each other. Some people try and split horses up and if one finished second to another one they’d be frustrated, by I absolutely have no trouble with finishing second, third, fourth, I don’t care as long as one of them is in front.
I have no problem taking on any horse in any race, if you’re not in you can’t win. I don’t think there’s been too many horses below 16/1 and 20/1 that have tried to actually do it, so as far as legitimate contenders as four-year-olds I don’t think there’s been many, I think Binocular nearly did it and I think there was another one as well.
I’m up for giving it a shot, but plenty can happen between now and then and before a final decision is made.
LE RICHEBOURG (Arkle, JLT)
The Arkle would make the most sense for him. He is in the JLT but since he dropped back to two miles he’s won twice. Again he has to go through his prep but I do think it would make sense to go for the Arkle.
He kind of keeps doing it doesn’t he. Some of the other horses have been beaten, some of the other horses in the two-mile division and he has as well, so it sort of looks an open enough race and he’s probably the standout performer.
He’d like a bit of nice ground, that’s no secret, but touch wood he’s jumped well and he’s got plenty of experience over fences. He is the logical favourite for the race on paper.
BOODLES JUVENILE HANDICAP HURDLE
I have four or five in it. I have Band Of Outlaws, Fine Brunello, Gardens Of Babylon, Star Max, I'll see what the weights are but most of them are two low to be competitive in the good races.