Guide to Susannah Ricci stars at 2020 Cheltenham Festival

BENIE DES DIEUX

The temptation to run in either the Champion or Stayers’ Hurdle was probably stronger with Susannah, Rich and I than anyone at Closutton and that’s probably what it came down to.

She’s won a mares’ hurdle already and looked set to go close to adding another last year when falling at the last.The shortest trip she’d ever raced over in France was two miles two and for us she’s run once at two miles, winning a Listed novice chase at Naas.

Willie is a creature of habit and he feels there’s unfinished business in the mares’ race. Honeysuckle looks to be going there too so it’s hardly a penalty kick, it’s a proper match-up, and let’s not forget Stormy Island who it took Benie an awful long time to get past at Punchestown last year either. It’s going to be a cracking race.

I think Benie is exceptional and her win in the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil in May last year has gone under the radar somewhat. That was a wonderful performance, she won pretty comfortably, and her reappearance victory in the Galmoy Hurdle was very pleasing.

That’s the major difference to last year, she’s had a run, and we know she handles the track. We travel there full of hope and confidence, as we did in 2019.

SHARJAH

Does run in the Unibet Champion Hurdle and while we’d like it to dry up for him, if the ground is like it was last year, Patrick (Mullins) is adamant he was handling it before being brought down by Buveur D’Air.

There’ll probably be a big field and we should be able to drop him in and ride a race this time but he is a horse who is prone to throwing the odd inconsistent run in. We’re fairly happy to put a line through his display in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time as we probably rode him too prominently and he’s rocking now, in very good form at home.

It’s not clear what the forecast is for Cheltenham at the moment but if the ground is like it was last year I wouldn’t be putting anyone off him. It’s wide open behind Epatante and if our fellow brings his A-game I struggle to see him being out of the four.

CHACUN POUR SOI

He beat Min at the Dublin Racing Festival last time and they went a hell of a gallop that day. He quickly put distance between the two horses in a short space of time after jumping the second last. He came forward enormously for his run behind A Plus Tard at Christmas and will come forward again from Leopardstown.

Paul Townend felt he was idling up the home straight and he’s in good form at home. The Champion Chase is an intriguing race tactically. I’m sure Nicky Henderson, Philip Hobbs and Willie Mullins would love to have a Special Tiara around to take them along at a good clip because Altior has never made the running before and Defi Du Seuil seems to be a horse who is good when played late.

I think you saw the best of our fellow between the last two at Leopardstown when he probably hit the front too soon and when he won at Punchestown last season, Robbie Power was deeply impressed with his turn of foot.

It isn’t just he has a high cruising speed. He jumps and travels and I hope he handles the undulations of Cheltenham. I think he’s an uncomplicated horse and we have a change of gear we’d like to use every bit as much as Barry Geraghty does on Defi Du Seuil and Nico De Boinville on Altior. The tactics are going to be fascinating.

FAUGHEEN

I’m writing this on the Wednesday before Cheltenham and I’d say at this stage the chances of Faugheen running are 50-50.

No decision has been made yet and it is going to be left late in the day. It was such an emotional day for everyone connected to the horse when he won at Leopardsotwn and no-one knew where to go next. Could it be topped?

Some people felt that was his Gold Cup and no-one wants to see him running down the field somewhere. Emotions are somewhat torn.

If he won at Cheltenham again it would be staggering – the reception would be unbelievable. If he travels he’ll run in either the RSA or the Marsh. The latter is the same trip as the Ballymore he won at Cheltenham and the same as the race he won at Leopardstown last month. No decision has been taken over whether he travels though – let alone for which race.

MIN

I’d love to see this horse win a Grade One at Cheltenham. He was exceptional in the JLT at Aintree last year and it may be that a flat track suits him, whether it be left or right handed, but take Altior out and he’d have won a Supreme and a Queen Mother. You can’t say he doesn’t handle Cheltenham.

As I said earlier we’re happy to put a line through his run in the Champion Chase last year and the Ryanair is his trip, he can race more in his comfort zone rather than being flat out. He’s an exceptional jumped and I’d expect Frodon to go on with A Plus Tard not far away and Paul will figure out if there’s room for him in that group up front.

He’s a wonderful horse.

MONKFISH

He’s a lovely prospect who runs in the Albert Bartlett. He’s a tall, athletic horse who travels really well and I just hope this isn’t a case of too much too soon for him. The race he won last time changed dramatically when Run Well Fred fell at the second last. He’s franked the form by winning at Punchestown since though and Monkfish is really, really nice.

FIVE O’CLOCK

He got beat at 1/5 at Tramore before Christmas but has come out since and won over an inadequate two miles at Limerick and a Grade Three at Thurles. He beat a horse of Joseph O’Brien’s there called Front View who is strongly-fancied for the Martin Pipe and a bit of a talking horse on the Irish preview circuit.

We beat him off level terms by six lengths and he’s rated 139 and we’re 145. We have a few options and I don’t know where he’ll run but I’d be keen enough to let him take his chance against Front View in the Martin Pipe. Our fellow is a rapidly improving horse, both physically and mentally, and wherever he turns up I can see him running a big race.

We might run TIGER TAP TAP in the Coral Cup and have a dinger of a filly called HOOK UP for either the Daylesford Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle or JCB Triumph. This is a big step up so early in her career but she’d be one I’d be excited about over the next year or two.

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