The Big Westerner ridden by jockey Darragh O'Keeffe

The Big Westerner on course for Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Tue February 25, 2025 · 10M ago

Connections of The Big Westerner are excited by the chances of their leading, and unbeaten, Cheltenham Festival hope.

The Big Westerner won her sole start between the flags before making her Rules debut for Henry de Bromhead in a Punchestown maiden hurdle over an extended two miles five and only needed to be pushed out to deny Argento Boy.

She was then stepped up in trip and class for a Grade Two at Limerick over Christmas and readily accounted for Mozzies Sister who went on to finish third behind Final Demand at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Owner Cathal Mariga spoke to Nick Luck on his daily podcast on Tuesday and revealed that he is coming back from Kentucky to watch The Big Westerner run at the Cheltenham Festival.

"She's very good," he told the host.

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"She was impressive in her debut in Punchestown before Christmas. And then we went to Limerick for a graded novice hurdle where she was even more impressive again.

"Darragh [O'Keeffe, jockey] said the race wasn't run to suit her and she still won with plenty in hand so we decided to give her a small break and then go straight to Cheltenham where we hope it will pay off.

"We just said she's been in training since mid-July so the break would do her the world of good instead of going to the Dublin Racing Festival before Cheltenham."

The Big Westerner holds an alternative entry in the Turners Novices' Hurdle but Mariga confirmed that his half-sister to Albert Bartlett winner Stay Away Fay would run in the staying contest and that excitement is mounting.

"She's definitely going for the Albert Bartlett; that's the only race she has in mind so as long as the ground comes up safe enough she'll run there.

"She'd have to rate up there [with our best], being unbeaten in three starts; we haven't had that before so hopefully she can continue to prove it."

It has been a relatively lean winter for De Bromhead by his own high standards but his relatively quiet spell doesn't worry Mariga who said: "The vibes are very strong.

"We know he's a patch there for the last month but it happens every year so he tends to get them right for the big targets.

"Even when Maskada [owned by Mariga] won [the Grand Annual] two years ago she wasn't fully right a few weeks before and he managed to get here bang on when she got there."

In some quarters experience is deemed to be a key component for the demands of the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle but De Bromhead saddled Minella Indo to lift the trophy as a 50/1 shot in 2019 off the back of two hurdles runs (plus a bumper and a point) and connections of The Big Westerner, who is the 6/1 third favourite in Sky Bet's non-runner no bet market, hope their patience will be rewarded in season's to come.

"She's quite a big mare and to be fair to him Matthew John O'Connor gave her time instead of running as a four-year-old in a point-to-point so I'd say it'll stand her in time," he continued.

"Hopefully we'll get a few days over fences with her as well the next few years."

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