Check out the view from connections ahead of Thursday's big-race action at Cheltenham.
1.30 Turners Novices' Chase
Gordon Elliott - Mighty Potter: “I don’t think you could be anything but impressed with him in Leopardstown – he looks the real thing. I loved how, coming by the line, he was only getting into top gear really. We won’t start leaping up and down about him yet and we’ll let him do the talking, but I wouldn’t mind having a few more like him.”
“Everything is so easy to him. Even at home he’s kind of a big baby still, but he’s exciting. I couldn’t be more happy with him. He was never happy in the Supreme last year. He was beaten after a mile. I suppose it’s always a concern, but he’s a very relaxed horse and a year older. I don’t think he’s been properly opened up yet. He’s just a relentless galloper.”
Joseph O’Brien - Banbridge: “He has every chance. He is very fit and well. The main worry would be the ground. We’ll just have to wait and see. The forecast is a bit changeable. He is obviously seen to best effect on better ground. We are definitely looking forward to the race, but the better the ground, the better his chance. He is fine as long as it is not too heavy. He’s run well at Cheltenham and won there twice so that all helps.”
Nicky Henderson - Balco Coastal: “He didn’t do much wrong and I think there is a bit of improvement to come. I just wondered if he had a right good blow. I thought he’d gone and won the race, to be honest with you. I just think there is a little bit more to come. I’m not quite sure where from, but I do. It looks quite a good division, but I think he is entitled to take his chance. I just think he got outstayed at Sandown. We’ve quickened up from the bend to the second-last and it just sort of came at him again a bit. We might wait a bit longer. He loves being up there and he jumps very well.”
Paul Nicholls - Stage Star: “He is a progressive horse and won very well the other day,” Nicholls said. “He has been a grand horse this year and won at Plumpton, making all, after Christmas, then won very nicely at Cheltenham off top-weight. He stayed on strong the last time and he is a progressive horse, but these are good races and you can run really well and finish third or fourth. Another summer on him and he will be a smart horse to go looking at better chases over here.”
2.50 Ryanair Chase
Nicky Henderson - Shishkin: “We knew he was ready, but that was still a bit of a relief, to be honest,” said Henderson. “He’s obviously a very high-class horse, but he has had his problems which are well-documented and he has been given all the time he needed to get him back. We’ve always thought he would get further and it was lovely to see him do it like he did at Ascot and while we know it was just a few weeks ago, he has taken it in his stride. He goes there in good shape, Nico (de Boinville) has been very happy with him, but Willie (Mullins) has a strong team and he’ll have to earn it. Nothing comes easy at Cheltenham.”
Anthony Bromley - Blue Lord: “He has a bit to take on with the hot favourite. Although he has only run once over this sort of trip, when winning at Clonmel in soft ground, he is a horse who has been crying out for a longer trip and now he seems to settle a bit better, it always seemed the right idea to go for the Ryanair as opposed to the Champion Chase. He does have a very hot favourite to take on, but he takes his chance and we’re hopeful he will run well.”
Gordon Elliott - Fury Road: “He ran a very good race in Leopardstown, I think the trip will suit him and I think his jumping is very good. If you paused it at the last fence in the Irish Gold Cup, if you’d backed the favourite at a short price you’d have been sweating. I thought it was a great prep and he goes to the Ryanair with a great each-way chance. With Allaho coming out it’s opened up and it’s there to be won.”
Paul Nicholls - Hitman: “I’ve always thought he had a big race in him but he has been a bit frustrating, didn’t jump well in the King George and then didn’t quite get home last time over three miles at Newbury on ground that was a bit quicker than he likes. Yet he is still a young horse, only just six and hasn’t reached full maturity yet, and I’m sure there is better to come over this trip.
“I’m putting cheekpieces on Hitman, I’ve saved them for this day, and if they the same effect on him as they did on Il Ridoto in January then we are in business. If Shishkin repeats the form of his recent Ascot win, then we are all running for places. But that was only 26 days ago and there is a question mark that he had a hard race that day.”
3.30 Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle
Charles Byrnes - Blazing Khal: “It’s been well documented, his preparation, but I can’t change anything. That’s gone and we have him here and we can now just hope for the best. We’re pleased to get him here, we would have preferred a better preparation, but we will make the most of it and hope the horse and jockey come back safe. He’s beat lesser company so far and it’s a big step up to Grade One company from what he has been up against, but we will try to make the most of it.”
“It’s a massive day and a massive family occasion but as far as we’re concerned, there is no pressure as he hasn’t had the ideal preparation and we’re here and hoping more than anything. It would be lovely to win it again, but Solwhit was an exceptional horse. He won eight Grade Ones while Blazing Khal is yet to win one. They don’t make Solwhits too often.”
Gavin Cromwell - Flooring Porter: “He’s had an interrupted preparation, but we’re pretty happy with him and hopefully he can run a big race. He knows how to win around the track which is a big positive. It’s not going to be an easy task, it’s a very good renewal of the race and we’re probably a little bit up against it, but he is the horse who has the form in the race. Everyone is very excited now and looking forward to it.”
Gordon Elliott - Teahupoo: “We were trying to make him a quicker horse than he is last year running over two miles, but he looks to have found his niche over longer trips. If you’d spoken to me this time last year, I’d have said he had a squeak in the Champion Hurdle, but he was just run off his feet.He’s a good horse and Davy (Russell, jockey) said he’s better for knowing. He said he got there too soon the last day, as he’s so relaxed and then he grabs hold and goes.
“He’s a young horse on the way up. He was good in the Hatton’s Grace and he was equally as good in Gowran. He’s a fair horse. He doesn’t do anything exciting at home, but he seems to do it on the track.”
Joseph O’Brien - Home By The Lee: “He goes there with a big chance. He is fit and well and his preparation has gone great. We are looking forward to the race. It looks a really strong Stayers’ Hurdle this year, but we are right in the mix. He likes being fresh, so it was always the plan to go straight from Christmas to Cheltenham.”
Gabriel Leenders - Gold Tweet: “He jumps his hurdles very fast and he’s a very strong horse. He’s not big, but he’s very strong and if we follow (the pace) he’ll have a fast finish, which is perfect for an English race,. We’ve trained him for every possibility and if the race is fast or steady, it’s not a problem. The jockey will keep relaxed and it won’t be a problem, he will be ready.”
Hugo Merienne - Henri Le Farceur: "He likes the distance and I think he’ll like the track. It’s a challenge but we’ll see. He’ll need to come and improve but we will try. We were actually thinking about whether to go to Kempton over Christmas, but the horse had a hard race at Auteuil and we gave him a few weeks off. When Gold Tweet won, the horse was in really good form and back in training and we thought we’d come over. There’s a lot of French trainers who’ve won in England and a few have come here already, it’s like a dream to come here. It’s like the World Cup and we’ll try our best.”
Emma Lavelle - Paisley Park: “He’s amazing to keep pulling it out the bag the way he has over the year and he certainly seems in good order. It looks a competitive renewal, but we know he loves Cheltenham, we know he loves that course and, touch wood, he has had a good preparation since his run in the Cleeve. Hopefully there will be plenty of pace and we see him flying up the hill at the finish.
“The ground is a positive for him in that it will probably slow the others up a bit, but to be honest I don’t think he really cares too much about the ground. He doesn’t like that really tacky ground, but outside of that he’s quite happy with whatever is thrown at him. It would a phenomenal achievement (to win the race again), but he has done us so proud over the years and has won a Grade One this year. Fingers crossed he can show us all what he is capable of.”
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