Lydia Hislop Road To Cheltenham Novice Hurdlers

Getabird gets the five-star badge this week after winning the Grade Two Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novices’ Hurdle in impressive fashion. This is the race Mullins has claimed for owner Rich Ricci in the past with Mikael D’Haguenet, Vautour and Douvan before they all went on to triumph at the Festival.

It no doubt helped that jockey Patrick Mullins nicked a four-length lead from the outset, enabling him to control the pace from the front, but he also jumped well – better than on his debut at Punchestown previously – and showed a striking turn of foot to surge away from the last.

Mengli Khan, who'd disgraced himself by running out last time, was attempting to concede 6lbs to the winner and tried to lay down a challenge from the second last but he was already held when getting the final hurdle wrong.

There were nine lengths between them at the line, even though Mullins steadied the winner into the last to ensure he got it right. No doubt trainer Elliott will take the winner on again in the Supreme – perhaps with some headgear – but surely with little confidence of reversing the form. Mengli Khan’s revised price of 20/1 underestimates his chances of hitting a place, however, as horses beaten in key trials often are.

Beforehand, Mullins senior and Ruby Walsh had both deemed Getabird to be a Ballymore type but the gears he showed here catapults him to the top of the Supreme tree – as reflected by his position as the new 3/1 favourite – and it sounds as though he'll head straight there without a further prep.

At his press morning, Mullins did not hide his delight with this latest success: "He did way more than I expected him to," he admitted. "I was worried I was running him in the wrong race but we said we'd take a chance and it worked out. He came right back to and probably beyond what we'd thought of him as a bumper horse. We were all amazed at the speed he showed away from the final hurdle. It was a really good performance."

That leaves Sharjah – who fell alongside but independently of his stable companion Real Steel at the last when looking likely to win the Grade One Paddy Power Future Champion Novice Hurdle last month – playing second fiddle to Getabird in the Supreme because he, too, shapes like a two-miler.

Mullins reported both fallers are "fine" and was inclined to blame the low sun in retrospect for their ill luck. He said they could re-oppose in next month’s Deloitte Novices' Hurdle at Leopardstown because "they could both do with more experience."

The yard also has Next Destination, who now looks like their leading contender for the Ballymore. Mullins says he's trying to decide whether to send him straight there or else take in Leopardstown, probably favouring the former option.

His trainer was also rightly impressed with third-placed Duc Des Genievres, observing: "He travelled well through the race and I’;m not sure which way I’m going with him in terms of trip. It might be too tough an ask for him to drop to two miles and take on sharper horses.

“He looked like he should be able to do it based on the last day but that was over a longer trip off a steady enough pace. Moving up a gear at championship pace will be a different story, so he might be as well off sticking to longer trips.”

A top price of 20/1 for the Ballymore looks on the generous side for him. In other news for that target, Samcro – who’s missed his last two intended starts – got an entry in the Irish Champion Hurdle (as befits a horse attended by such towering yak) and Henderson reports On The Blind Side goes straight there due to knocking himself prior to his intended start in the Challow.

"He’s on the move now although won’t be quite ready in time for Festival Trials day,” he reported via his Unibet blog.

Henderson also has a decent horse in the form of Mr Whipped, who won Warwick’s Grade Two Ballymore Leamington Hurdle last Saturday. There was much to like about this performance: jumping soundly behind the leaders and travelling strongly, he was confidently ridden by de Boinville to surge into the lead after being mildly inconvenienced at the second last. He then proceeded to idle but found more when asked to repel the rallying Paisley Park.

The runner-up shaped like a straightforward Albert Bartlett horse, having got outpaced and therefore under pressure at his obstacles, but the winner appeared a shade swifter than that.

Finally, Harry Fry has announced that If The Cap Fits heads straight for the Supreme while Debuchet remains in the hands of Mag Mullins and has not transferred to Willie, as a typo in a press release caused many to wonder.