Ruby Walsh: Monkfish looks a tasty dish for punters

Latest Exhibition and Monkfish were part of an epic finish to the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle last March and I think Monkfish will come out on top once more

Monkfish and Paul Townend jump the last to win The Jim Ryan Racecourse Services Beginners Steeplechase at Fairyhouse last month. Picture: Healy Racing.

The Savills Chase was a fabulous race to watch yesterday: Kemboy jumped out and, with Tout Est Permis for company, made this a genuine end-to-end gallop, with nowhere for anybody to hide.

The first to shows signs of distress was Presenting Percy, then Minella Indo tipped up before Delta Work unseated rider. And by the time they had raced through the start on the second circuit the field was spreadeagled.

Melon had jumped his way into the lead and only Kemboy could follow, but always in the back of the shot, Darragh O’Keefe was sneaking along on A Plus Tard. And, as happened so many times up the long Leopardstown straight, he who arrived last, laughed loudest. It was thrilling to watch and hats off to Henry de Bromhead and Darragh O’Keefe.

Silver Streak’s dismissal of Epatante on St Stephen’s Day at Kempton hasn’t really thrown open the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but it has certainly allowed others to think they have a better chance.

I should know better than most that you can’t read one horse’s form literally from one run, but what single performances do show you is mortality in all equine performers. Horses are animals, not machines, and they all underperform at times. But the greats dig out a result on a bad day, the very good go down fighting, and the good just get hammered.

For me, she had an off day, which is just a normal occurrence because training racehorses is an art, not a science. If it were a science, the formula to follow would mean the best horse wins every day, and we all know that doesn’t happen.

But her performance makes today’s Matheson Hurdle all the more intriguing as we look for a genuine Irish challenger to take on her.

Sharjah is the benchmark horse in this contest and, no doubt, outstanding each-way value at 8/1 because he has the best overall form, having chased Epatante home last March and having been victorious here last December. But the possibility of one of last year’s novices improving enough to beat him is real, and that’s what makes it so interesting.

Aspire Tower floored Abacadabras at Down Royal in October before Abacadabras beat Saint Roi in the Morgiana. That was a slowly run, tactical affair, but throw Petit Mouchoir into today’s contest and the possibility is there for a high-tempo, nowhere-to-hide contest.

Aspire likes to gallop, Saint Roi stays and Abacadras has gears. Each has a different strong point, so if one scoots away from the others, there will be little doubt about its credentials.

The dark horse is Saldier, who has a worse injury-to-run rate than I ended up with. But his strike-rate since February 2018 is 50%. Three wins from six starts, including two Grade 1s, so strength in depth definitely exists in this contest. Saint Roi would be my pick, but it’s a tentative one for now.

Monkfish renews rivalry with Latest Exhibition in the Neville Hotels Chase at 1.50pm. They were part of an epic finish to the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle last March and I think Monkfish will come out on top once more. If anything, I believe he is a better horse now and loved the way he won on his chasing debut at Fairyhouse.

Conflated was good at Navan last time but I just feel Monkfish could be as exciting as any novice chaser stabled at Closutton and his potential remains far from tapped.

Willie Mullins undoubtedly loves the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and, after suffering defeat to Honeysuckle in the contest last March, you can be sure he will return to the Cotswold this spring with more ammo.

Concertista would look like the one he is teeing up to take aim with and this strapping daughter of Nathaniel can make another step in that direction at 1.15pm.