The entries are through for the four Grade One novice hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival. David Ord, Tony McFadden and John Ingles take a look.
Old Park Star is a warm favourite for the Sky Bet Supreme after his win at Haydock on Saturday – what do you make of him?
David Ord: I was there at the weekend and was very taken by him - as were the Timeform handicappers and timefigure experts. He's very exciting and a rock-solid favourite.
Owner Gordon Hall was at pains to stress that Act Of Innocence is held in just the same regard at home and could be in the Supreme mix himself but he runs over two-and-a-half miles at the weekend and is surely Turners bound if he doesn't run out of petrol there. Old Park Star is the best of British for me - and by some way.
John Ingles: He looks a worthy favourite judged on Saturday’s performance where he wasn’t just visually impressive with the way he came so far clear after an accurate round of jumping. It was a very good performance on the clock too, and form-wise it looks to compare well with the standard that his stable’s most recent Supreme winners Altior, Shishkin and Constitution Hill had reached before they were successful at Cheltenham.
Tony McFadden: The division was crying out for a horse to lay down a marker and Old Park Star did just that at Haydock on Saturday, producing a performance that propelled him 5 lb clear on Timeform's ratings. He'd need to improve a bit more to win a typical edition of the Supreme - which he looks capable of doing - but the signs so far are that this year's renewal might just be an ordinary one. It wouldn't be a surprise were he to be sent off a short-price favourite.
Who is the pick of the Irish team right now for the Festival opener?
JI: Probably Talk The Talk who would have been unbeaten in three starts over hurdles for Joseph O’Brien had he not fallen at the last with a Grade One prize at his mercy at Leopardstown last time. It’s taken a while for a leading Willie Mullins contender to emerge this winter, but Mighty Park won by what would have been called ‘a distance’ in the old days on heavy ground at Fairyhouse last week and clearly has a lot of potential, though he has the option of the Turners too.
TM: Talk The Talk would look like the obvious one given he seemed set to complete a hat-trick in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown last time only to fall at the final flight when in a narrow lead. He is Timeform's highest-rated novice hurdler based in Ireland this season.
DO: I was interested in Bambino Fever - right up to the point she was removed from the Willie Mullins team just before entries closed on Tuesday.
El Cairos was going to win at Leopardstown over Christmas bar that bizarre final flight fall and is clearly talented - but raw still. Talk The Talk also fell at the same obstacle with the Grade One Future Champions Novices' Hurdle in the bag. He should be second favourite right now while at a bigger price I've an awful lot of time for Ballyfad - which far more importantly Gordon Elliott has too.
Are you for or against No Drama This End in the Turners? If against with what?
TM: It's hard to find fault with the style of No Drama This End's victories this season and he's clearly the one to beat in the Turners; indeed, he's the only contender at a single-figure price. However, if he ends up a short-price favourite I suspect I'd want to find something against him as there's a nagging doubt that he's ultimately going to excel in staying chases and could be vulnerable to a speedier sort here. It's not yet apparent who that might be, though.
DO: A horse I like but there are any number of potentially significant improvers waiting in the wings for him. Mighty Park heads that list after 'that' debut win for the Mullins team at Fairyhouse but the one from the yard who interests me at 20/1 is Sortudo.
He was very strong in the market for the Grade 1 Ballymore Novice Hurdle at Naas last time and travelled for much of the race like he was going to justify the market confidence. However with the hurdle down the home straight omitted, he was unable to pick-up the teak-tough and progressive winner I'll Sort That. There's plenty more to come from the Closutton horse and I think he'll underline his promise with a big run at the Dublin Racing Festival en-route to Cheltenham.
JI: Paul Nicholls’ recent Challow winners have been found wanting at Cheltenham when it comes to comparisons with Denman who did manage to go on and win the Turners. Maybe No Drama This End will be the one to change that, as he won with plenty in hand at Newbury even if the bare margins were nothing out of the ordinary, but there’s probably more valuable to be had among the Irish contenders. Mighty Park is bred to be suited by further than two miles, so would be interesting if running here instead of the Supreme, while stablemate Sortudo finished just in front of No Drama This End in the Champion Bumper and showed plenty of improvement upped in trip when second in the recent Grade 1 at Naas.
Give me one our horse on your radar for the Albert Barlett?
JI: Kazansky is 40/1 in places but has won his last two for Gordon Elliott, taking a marked step up in trip when successful in a Grade 2 novice at Limerick last time. The same race was won the year before by The Big Westerner who was runner-up in the Albert Bartlett, and Kazansky looks as though he’ll improve again given a stronger gallop at around three miles. He’s bred to stay well, too, being related to Irish Grand National winner Thunder And Roses.
TM: The fact this is 14/1 the field shows how wide open it is. Kazansky is worth a second look at a massive price given he has a stout pedigree - his dam is a sister to Irish Grand National winner Thunder And Roses - and he stayed on strongly to win a two-mile-seven-furlong Grade 2 on testing ground at Limerick last time. He appeals as one who should cope better than most with what can be an extreme test for young horses.
DO: I'm going to stick with that Ballymore form at Naas and third that day was Fruit De Mer for Henry de Bromhead. He's bred to want a marathon trip and looked every inch as if he does that day - plugging on behind the two principals.
He's a potential significant improver if and when he goes up to three miles and it will be interesting to see if he takes up his engagement in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle over two miles six at the DRF.
How do you see the JCB Triumph right now?
TM: Narcisco Has was impressive in the Grade 2 at Leopardstown over Christmas and tops Timeform's ratings in the division based on that emphatic 11-length success. Admittedly, he comes out 1 lb behind Fairyhouse conqueror Mange Tout once her 7 lb sex allowance is taken into account, but I'd expect Narciso Has to turn that form around as he was conceding race fitness on that occasion and then took a big step forward at Leopardstown
DO: At the risk of being accused of copping out, the DRF and Cheltenham on Saturday will tell us plenty.
Narcisco Has probably just about sets the standard on his Leopardstown Christmas win but Mange Tout had the legs on him when they met the time before and is heading for a DRF rematch.
There are any number of highly-regarded unexposed horses yet to play their hand, the likes of Selma De Vary for example are yet to be unleashed so it's a couple of weeks too early to hold a very strong view.
JI: Nothing has really stood out from the rest so far, though Maestro Conti could strengthen his claims to be the leading British contender for Dan Skelton if winning well at Cheltenham this weekend. In Ireland, Gordon Elliott’s filly Mange Tout got the better of Willie Mullins’ Narciso Has at Fairyhouse, but the latter jumped well when making a really good impression since with a clear-cut win at Leopardstown on Boxing Day and might well be able to turn the tables if the pair meet again at the DRF.
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