It's here. Our star columnist with an exclusive horse-by-horse guide to his team for next week's Cheltenham Festival.
Novice hurdlers
Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
Hopefully this fella can win in Michael's honour. Michael used to ride out here two or three times a week and was a big part of our operation and I think he was going to be a bigger part. The level of talent he showed at his age, I could have seen him some day being our first jockey possibly as he was so young and had such talent. It was an awful thing to happen.
Hopefully Kopek des Bordes can give us a good day out at Cheltenham. He's a beautiful horse with a beautiful pedigree. I love buying a good walker and this fella couldn't walk [well] on the day [we bought him] and I went off him a bit, but I didn't go off him enough not to buy him! I think we were lucky as if he walked on the day of the sale he'd have made double the price. Anyhow, we got him and Charlie McCarthy and his sons have him and he's a tremendous horse to be looking forward to going to the Festival.
He won the George Mernagh Bumper at Fairyhouse last Easter and that looked a real good performance but then he came out over hurdles and probably jumped as badly as any horse can and still won. Patrick was riding him that day and Kopek des Bordes was pulling too hard, meeting hurdles wrong and we were all aghast that a horse could jump as badly and still win. Then Paul got on him at Leopardstown for the Grade 1 and, while he pulled very hard, there was a stronger pace and he jumped a good bit better. A loose horse came up his outside after the third last and dragged him into a four or five-length lead - you can't do that and win a race of that level, but he did! When the loose horse ran off the track you think he's going to follow him, but he didn't, he came back in and put in a tremendous jump at the second last. I said to myself 'wow, this fella has some engine to jump like that after what he's been doing'. Turning for home he still had plenty left in the tank and Paul just opened him up after the last and went away.
That was a huge performance in any man's book. You'd have to be a little concerned [about the atmosphere at Cheltenham] as he's got a little bit sweaty. But I've seen horses like that, Hedgehunter when he won the Grand National was in a white sweat down at the start and if he wasn't he wasn't any good. This fella is probably the same.
We can take steps to get him used to the crowd and have been doing that. I don't mind, I think he's got the engine and that's more important - there's no point having a nice quiet horse who can't go! Charlie has had horses for years and anyone that has been in the game that length, to get a horse that looks this special and win a Grade 1 at the Dublin Racing Festival, is fantastic. He looks to have the whole world at his feet, he's a really nice horse to look forward to.
