Not for the first time, some of the performances at the Dublin Racing Festival last weekend will have had British trainers back home watching from behind the sofa.
While Willie Mullins again ran riot, visitors were in lamentably short supply and full marks to Harry Derham, Patrick Neville, Henry Daly and Warren Greatrex who at least made an effort to be competitive albeit unsuccessfully.
If the argument for not running at the DRF is that it's too close to Cheltenham and can involve a rough boat trip, it should be borne in mind that there is six weeks to recover and Irish trainers don't have a big problem with sending horses to Britain.
Venetia Williams seems to consider the time period more than enough and would like to find another race for L’Homme Presse before the Gold Cup.
“It’s not all about Cheltenham is it?” she said, which will be music to many ears, and it does seem a bit negative (or defeatist?) that some of the big yards couldn't muster even one runner at Leopardstown.
Domestically, there seems no good reason why a fully fit racehorse can't manage at least one run post Christmas/New Year before mid-March yet how often do we hear the phrase: "He'll go straight to Cheltenham, we don't need to run again."?
One horse I have been following this season is Lucky Place who finished a creditable fourth in last year's Coral Cup when many of his stable companions were either under par and withdrawn, or ran poorly.
The six-year-old has improved again, winning at Ascot in November and then taking the Relkeel Hurdle on New Years Day at Cheltenham despite looking up against it at the weights.
In that race, Lucky Place gave 6lb and a three-quarter length beating to Gowel Road who has since gone one better in a conspicuously weak renewal of the Cleeve Hurdle on January 25.
One might have thought that the Cleeve would have been a natural target for Lucky Place too and an opportunity to try the three miles of his Stayers' Hurdle target at the Festival, but trainer Nicky Henderson was quoted as saying "we didn't need to."
So another good opportunity was sacrificed on the altar of what looks only an average chance of Festival success, and despite the fact that an appearance in a novice hurdle at the Cleeve Hurdle/Trials meeting last year didn't stop Lucky Place running really well seven weeks later.
In Henderson's defence, he is Britain's most successful trainer at the Cheltenham Festival so knows what it takes to get a horse spot on for what is often a day of destiny while, in a long career, he has suffered quite enough setbacks and tragedies with talented horses to make him a bit risk averse.
He is also exceptionally media friendly, and therefore punter friendly, but the cautious campaigning of his best horses must be a little frustrating for the latter group and maybe a few owners too.
Overall, such an approach can't be good for jumps racing and I'm surely not alone in thinking the winters have become much less interesting and exciting than in the past.
On the other hand, maybe no one will worry too much if Henderson wins with Constitution Hill, Sir Gino, Jonbon and Lulumba.
While British trainers stayed away, Mullins sent out a slew of high class winners.
All of them - Final Demand, Gallopin Des Champs, Majborough, Kopek Des Bordes, Ballyburn, State Man and the bumper winner Bambino Fever will have big chances at Cheltenham with Galopin Des Champs all set to join Arkle and Best Mate as a three-time Gold Cup winner albeit in a renewal which may well cut up.
A clash between Majborough and Sir Gino in the Arkle is a thrilling prospect.
Majborough, a standout specimen, did make a couple of small jumping errors on Saturday but they were only as a result of getting in a bit tight, and he proved quite sure footed.
It would be unusual - and fortunate - for a horse to meet a fence absolutely perfect every time, as perhaps Sir Gino did when so impressively brushing aside Ballyburn at Kempton, so an ability to shorten is good to see.
Mullins appears to have a stranglehold on Cheltenham’s novice hurdles with Final Demand and Kopek Des Bordes, and Ballyburn was much more comfortable over a longer trip than at Kempton and will be hard to beat in the Brown Advisory.
On the first day, Hello Neighbour posted a warning that the Triumph Hurdle may not be a two horse race between Lulumba and East India Dock.
Gavin Cromwell's gelding won a shade cosily in a steadily run affair but the strong finishing-second Galileo Dame very much caught the eye too.
She had some classy form on the Flat last year for Joseph O'Brien finishing second in mile and a half listed races at Naas and The Curragh, and this was a big step forward from her hurdling debut.
O’Brien is enjoying plenty of big race success this season and Solness put up a swashbuckling, front running display in Sunday’s Dublin Chase, earning some respect in the Queen Mother Champion Chase market.
Perhaps his rivals will be on to him a bit more at Cheltenham and the former Supreme winner Marine Nationale had to make up a lot of ground to chase him home.
Finally, one absentee at the DRF, along with the vast majority of British trainers, was the thriving King George winner Banbridge who O'Brien has entered for the Champion Chase, Ryanair and Gold Cup.
It was too soft for him in the Ryanair last year but he has won at all three of the spring Festivals in the past.
Banbridge hasn't run since Boxing Day due to a preference for better ground.
And not because 'he didn't need to'.
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
