Olly Murphy hopes stable stalwart Brewin’upastorm can give him the perfect start to 2023 at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day by completing "unfinished business" in the careers@dornangroup.com Relkeel Hurdle.
Twelve months after tipping up at the last in the Grade Two prize, when holding every chance, the nine-year-old son of Milan will bid to atone that defeat when forming part of a strong team Murphy will send to the home of jump racing on Sunday.
After getting no further than the first on his return at Aintree in November the Barbara Hester-owned gelding found only Goshen too strong in a Grade Two at Ascot last time out.
Despite having failed to complete on three of his four appearances at Cheltenham the Wilmcote handler believes Brewin’upastorm, who claimed victory at the same level in last year’s National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell, is due a change of luck.
He said: “It is an extremely competitive renewal of the race especially after the abandonment of the International Hurdle at the track earlier this month.
“On his day he is very good. I felt he needed the run badly at Ascot and I’m looking forward to running him in this. If he turns up with his A game I think he has an each-way chance, but he is in good form.
"I feel we have a bit of unfinished business here. He has been to Cheltenham four times and finished rider-less on three of them including when falling at the last in this race 12 months ago. I felt on two of those occasions he would have won, while what would have happened in the Arkle I’m not sure.
"He deserves a race like this but this is probably the most competitive race, bar his Grade Ones at Aintree, that he has run in for a while. If he gets everything go right, he should go well."
Murphy could already have secured Grade Two glory before Brewin’upastorm takes to the track with Thunder Rock, who will bid to maintain his unbeaten record over fences in the Paddy Power Novices’ Chase, registered as the Dipper Novices' Chase.
He said: “Thunder Rock is a lovely horse and he has taken very well to fences. He was a good hurdler last season but we thought he would improve for a fence which he has done in his two starts this season.
“This trip will suit him perfectly and he appears to be on an upward curve but we will know where we stand after this. He is a horse that we think plenty of and he already has a mark of 150. I thought he would improve going chasing but you never know how much they will improve but the handicapper has him a stone better over fences.
“If he wins I would think he would then head to Sandown Park for the Scilly Isles. If not, we will make alternative arrangements.
“We had him in the Wayward Lad at Kempton but we all thought in the end that two miles around there might just be on the sharp side for him. Hopefully we have made the right decision.”
Grade Two winner Thomas Darby will take a drop down in class when attempting to carry top-weight to victory in the Paddy Power Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 213y).
Murphy said: “It is his first run in a handicap hurdle since the Coral Cup last year. Life is tough for him now in those graded races so we are thinking outside the box a little here.
“He is the class horse in the race and if he can carry the big weight I think he has an each-way chance. I had a long discussion with his owners and we thought this is the right thing to do. He ran very well at Wetherby and I was delighted with him there. Paisley Park and Champ were very good at Newbury and he ran with credit there.
“He knows how to win at a good level and it is really interesting to see how he will get on back in a handicap.”
The Wolf failed to feature on his debut over the Grand National fences in the Boylesports Becher Handicap Chase at Aintree in December. However, Murphy hopes the application of cheekpieces can help him go one better than last year in the AJS Handicap Chase (3m 2f 70y).
He said: “Standing starts never help him and he was slowly away in the Becher as a result. He just found it hard to get in a rhythm but he ran okay. He does seem to save his best for Cheltenham and these staying handicaps. We are fitting some cheekpieces on him and the more rain that falls the better but he always seems to give himself a lot to do.
"He is not an easy ride for Adrian (Heskin) as he races behind the bridle for a long way and on better ground they can just get away from him but on softer ground they come back to him. He is another horse that is capable of winning a nice handicap if everything falls right for him."
Murphy will also be represented in the three and a quarter mile test by Itchy Feet, who will bid to claim his first victory since securing the avid Aston Villa his first Grade One success in the 2020 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park.
He said: “He ran a lot better than it looks at Haydock Park. If he didn’t walk through the last he would have finished second to Hitman.
“It all depends if he can get into a rhythm in a competitive handicap as I’ve always thought he is a horse best suited to smaller fields. He is rated 145 and he is the class horse in the race.
“He is eight pounds lower than when finishing second to Allmankind in the Old Roan at Aintree 18 months ago and he is handicapped to run well. If everything goes right he is more than capable.
“He showed me enough first time out after his wind operation that he has still got ability. He is a hard horse to place off his current mark but having been placed in the Old Roan off 153 and 154 he is back down to a good mark."
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