Ruby Walsh: Stacked with stayers but British novice chasing stocks look threadbare

Paul Nicholls and Lucinda Russell have the gloves on early, and the rest will follow over the coming weeks

Sat, 29 Oct, 2022 - 06:40

So much hype and expectation for the upcoming National Hunt season is already revolving around Constitution Hill and what he will do to Honeysuckle when or if they eventually meet next March in the Champion Hurdle.

Nobody is more guilty of looking to the Festival than I am, and champions certainly need challengers, but the fascinating staying-chase division, which could have massive strength in depth, kicks off today.

Bravemansgame versus Ahoy Senor at Wetherby this afternoon in the Charlie Hall Chase is round one. Galvin's Punchestown stroll is discounted, but he will be out next week at Down Royal. A Plus Tard was last season's runaway winner, but the depth of talent emerging into the open category could breathe real life into the whole season.

Paul Nicholls and Lucinda Russell have the gloves on early, and the rest will follow over the coming weeks, with today's winner likely to pitch up at Haydock in three weeks to take on A Plus Tard in the Betfair Chase.

The Clonmel Oil, John Durkan, Coral Gold Cup, Many Clouds, King George and the Savills at Leopardstown and Tramore are all races worth winning. Each one will have substance thanks to A Plus Tard, Galopin Des Champs, Ahoy Senor, Bravemansgame, L'Homme Pressé, Capodanno, Galvin and Minella Indo.

Then you add Allaho, who could ultimately end up back in the Ryanair by March but whose presence in the King George will bring two divisions together. There are more horses I could add to the list, but the group is proof of a system working correctly: emerging talent coming through to take on the elite.

However, the novice chasing tier from where the talent emerges is looking threadbare in the UK. Where are the next British stars? That was the question last Saturday in Cheltenham when three Irish horses went to post as the only runners in the novice chase. The showcase meeting of Cheltenham's opening meet has never been overly well supported numerically in the novice races, but this was different and is a continuation of what happened in March.

Back then, four runners, all Irish, lined up in the Turners Novice Chase, and the word was the British couldn't compete with the standard of Irish horses. They chose to avoid that division. Fair enough, but they only had two of the six in the National Hunt Chase, four of the 11 in the Arkle and four of the nine in the Brown Advisory.

Cheltenham is a home game, and they won two of those races, yet the expectation would be for the home runners to outnumber the visitors. Good horses don't grow on trees, but last weekend was four grades below March, and still the British didn't compete.

Rain may have helped our cricketers beat the English, and the lack of it is being blamed for last weekend. Time will tell if it was weather-related or that the gulf in class across the Irish Sea is not closing.

***

Tuesday morning will see the first Melbourne Cup run since lockdowns were lifted in Australia, returning with all its usual pomp and glory. As a sporting day out, it is a fabulous event and one which had become very international in terms of competition.

The shift to breeding for speed Down Under left the locals short of stayers to win the nation's favourite race, and a turn to importing Europeans began. Initially, they were bought to be trained from here, but that has changed with the introduction of strict veterinary checks for European horses.

Even though some were Australian-owned, being European-trained meant the Melbourne Cup was being exported a little too often. And thus, those runners have become hometown representatives now, with 13 of the 31 who remained in the contest before this morning's final declarations all having been previously trained up here.

Like last year, that leaves only two European-trained runners, Deauville Legend, for James Ferguson, and Without A Fight, for the Crisfords. That figure has fallen from a high of 10 in 2019.

Does that enhance or detract from the contest? I think it's a detraction, but I am sure plenty of the natives down there are happy to be without the international raiders, thus enhancing the locals’ chances.

***

Billy Lee and Colin Keane have added extra spice to the slow finish of the Flat season, and before play began last night at Dundalk, Billy held a one-winner lead over Colin in his bid to become champion jockey.

The twist for Billy is he only has two more meetings to get himself clear of Colin before he sits out the final two days at Dundalk and Naas because of a whip rules infringement last Friday night. It could be the difference between winning and losing, but it is the harsh reality of a black-and-white rule where a grey guideline worked better.

Billy was one over the limit, but his riding, timing and technique when using his whip were of a standard that should be taught to younger riders. The response sought was the one acquired because breaking a whip rule is when a reply is not given, but a rider continues to ask for one.

Beleaguerment found and sustained his run down the straight, but the counters were looking. The irony of horse racing is, try too hard and you're in trouble, don't try at all, and you only might be.