Starvation diet in order to do the full Monty
I’m on Our Monty, who seems to have improved out of all recognition since being sent to be trained by Willie Mullins.
Again it is a case of a starvation diet over the next day or two, with Our Monty set to carry 9-13.
I managed 10-0 last weekend and the plan is to do that weight on Our Monty as well. He has run just twice for Willie, cruising to handicap hurdle successes at Limerick and Punchestown.
He carried 12-0 at Punchestown and that was a sound effort from a relatively small horse. The big question now is will he stay three and a half miles, on what seems sure to be testing ground?
I think he will, but you can never be sure until they go and do it. I always thought Kauto Star, for instance, capable of winning the Gold Cup, but was never certain he would get three and a quarter miles before he went and did it.
Florida Pearl is a very good example of a top-class chaser who had no trouble with three miles round Leopardstown, but three and a quarter at Cheltenham was simply beyond his capacity.
I’m actually of the belief that every furlong beyond three miles is the equivalent of two furlongs!
There are some stout stayers in here and it’s a long way removed from a cakewalk. Barry Geraghty tells me Our Monty is a great jumper of fences and, obviously, the longer I can keep him on the bridle the better.
I begin at Cork aboard Suprise Vendor in the three-year-old hurdle. He won nicely enough at Roscommon and was then fourth to Mosstown at Listowel. Truth to tell, he’s no star and is what he is.
Willie’s Definitive Edge has a great chance in the three mile Grade 3 novice hurdle. He loves heavy ground and that’s going to be a big plus.
He’s a fine big horse, the trip will be no problem and is in good order. The seven-year-old is two from two over flights, at Sligo and Galway, and if we beat Warne then we should win.
I end my trip to the capital of the south on Morning Supreme, another of Willie’s, in the maiden hurdle.
She went some gallop for Patrick Mullins when third in a Listed bumper for mares at the Aintree Grand National meeting, a contest I won for John Kiely on Candy Creek.
She’s a really good mare, but a difficult ride. Her jumping is fine, but she can be very keen and there’s a chance won’t make things easy for herself or me.
My worry is if she wants to get on with it, she might not be fit enough, so it will be a question of seeing how it pans out.
I’m off to Ascot today, but couldn’t be confident about any of my rides and a winner will represent a decent afternoon’s work.
I partner Sanglote for Eoin Griffin in a beginners chase and you’d think he’s heading across for the good ground.
He’s got plenty of experience alright, but the downside is that lots of chances have come his way as well.
Just Amazing, with just four races over fences under his belt, now ventures into handicap company for the first time in the feature.
He won at Cheltenham two weeks ago, making all the running, and you might remember I told you here that I’d be the last to challenge.
Paul Nicholls, however, had other ideas and felt he would be hard to settle and told me to buck away in front.
Juist Amazing is a great jumper, but did go to his right the last day, so heading right-handed now is a help.
He’s well capable of a big run, but this is wide-open and I’m just hoping for the best.
Classic Swain has reasonable prospects in a handicap hurdle, even if Starluck toyed with him at Cheltenham.
That wasn’t run to suit at all and a competitive contest now, tucking him in, makes Classic Swain a possibility.
Oslot is hard to fancy off top weight in a handicap chase. He’s one of those horses who is almost impossible to place.
He’s far too high in the handicap and just isn’t good enough for conditions events. The simple facts are that Oslot hasn’t run any sort of a race for a year.
I know nothing about Paul’s newcomer, Irish Airman, in the bumper and the market will be a far better guide than anything I might say.
Next week, I head to Kempton on Monday to partner Pasco, will be at Exeter on Tuesday for the Haldon Gold Cup and it will be Chepstow on Wednesday.
Oh, and yesterday, I was part of a massive team of human and equine talent Willie Mullins despatched to Thurles for schooling hurdles and bumpers. He had over 40 horses there.
