Gavin Cromwell is feeling upbeat about Inothewayurthinkin's well-being ahead of Sunday’s John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.
Inothewayurthinkin was last seen winning the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and while only seventh in last year’s renewal of the John Durkan on his seasonal debut, Cromwell expects the JP McManus-owned gelding to be a “sharper” model for his first full campaign outside of novice company last term.
While acknowledging last year's winner Fact To File, also owned by McManus, could be hard to beat over the intermediate trip, Cromwell reckons his charge is in a good place and capable of mounting a serious bid.
Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Cromwell said: “I’m happy with him, he’s a sharper horse than he was this time last year.
"He learned so much through the year last year, his jumping improved – he just got quicker through the air. Keith (Donoghue, jockey) was very good on him, he progressed and we reaped the benefits in the Gold Cup.
“He’s stronger and switched on. I appreciate the trip is going to be a bit sharp for him but I do expect him to run a good race and give a good account of himself.
“It is going to be difficult win but I would expect him to run well, and I’d expect him to run better than he did in the race last year. How close it’s going to get him to the likes of Fact To File I’m not sure but hopefully he’ll run well.
“I would imagine Mark (Walsh) will ride Fact To File, especially as Keith has ridden him (Inothewayurthinkin) so much last year, I couldn’t see it being any different than that. We all appreciate Keith is a very good rider, particularly over fences, and the horse was building confidence all year."
Fastorslow – winner of the 2023 John Durkan – has an even longer layoff to overcome having not raced since finishing fourth to Fact To File in the same event 12 months ago.
His trainer Martin Brassil is sounding a relatively cautious note ahead of the nine-year-old's belated seasonal return.
He said on the same podcast: "He’s ready to have his first run back. I wouldn’t say he’s raring to go just yet.
“He was probably lucky to win the John Durkan in a tactically-run race when he did. It was probably the first time he won having his first run of the season, but that’s how it worked out.
“We’re glad to have him back in good shape and capable of having his first run. Hopefully there’s a good bit of improvement to come from it.
“Just a soft tissue (injury), he’s a horse who had leg trouble before so we’ve always be very conscious of that. It was just a slight change in the fibre so we stopped with him, we could have maybe kept going and took a chance but being the horse he was, we weren’t prepared to do that.
“He seems to be the very same, we schooled him there a few weeks ago and he hadn’t jumped since the John Durkan (last year), it was like he was after jumping the day before – he just takes everything in his stride, that’s the kind of horse he is.
“If he finished in the first four or five and came home well in the race, that’s all I’d be hoping for.”
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