Royal Charm and Pistolet Noir must stake Festival claims
Let’s begin with one of my best chances, Royal Charm, in the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle. He’s won twice at Exeter and the form of his latest success, a handicap, is rock solid.
This is a horse who clearly excites Paul Nicholls and when Paul tends to become animated then it usually pays to listen. Of course we are taking on a particularly smart sort in Nicky Henderson’s General Miller, who is now unbeaten in three races.
Paul, however, has what is now known as the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (over two miles, four and a half furlongs) at the Festival in mind for Royal Charm and he’d want to be winning this if such notions are to be entertained.
It’s a somewhat similar story with Pistolet Noir, which I partner in the first, the juvenile hurdle. He’s already near the top of the market for the Triumph Hurdle and can only stay there if taking this.
He will be having his first run for Paul, having been bought out of Nick Williams’. Pistolet Noir won nine lengths at Cheltenham in November and obviously has an engine. My only slight reservation is that he is a handy little horse and 11-7 is plenty of weight. Anway, Paul likes him and his work is good, so we’re expecting to draw.
Five Dream was beaten at Fakenham last time and that’s hardly a recommendation for winning a competitive handicap chase round here. But don’t dismiss his prospects too lightly, because he made a series of mistakes on that occasion. Five Dream is a much better horse than that and, I’d say, isn’t at all badly handicapped.
Two miles and five, on the new track, are made for this horse and, if I can get him jumping properly, I’ll bet he won’t be far away at the end.
Nycteos runs in another handicap chase and I wasn’t half glad to see the weights going up by 6lbs yesterday morning. He was originally set to carry 10-0 and that would have meant no dinner for Ruby last night.
He came over to Ireland at Christmas for the Paddy Power at Leopardstown and disappointed. I followed him for much of the race on Dooneys Gate and Nycteos was far too keen and never had a hope, as a result, of getting home.
He’s been drifting down the weights and now goes down in trip to boot. I don’t want to sound too optimistic, but won’t be surprised if he comes home like a train today.
Paul is taking a real punt running Inchidaly Rock against seasoned rivals in the Grade 2 chase. He did well to score at Cheltenham last time, having made a bad mistakes at the first ditch.
He’s a lazy horse, who stays well and, maybe, they will just be travelling too fast for him. But this is a £100,000 prize and well worth a shot when you look at the opposition.
I mean Joe Lively has shown nothing for a while, Madison Du Berlais doesn’t like Cheltenham and you can find fault with most of the others well. Carruthers is the one we have to beat.
Tatenen is hard to fancy in the Cleeve Hurdle. He is badly handicapped over fences and hurdles and is really in no-man’s land.
In the final handicap hurdle Takeroc is returning from a break of 287 days and has little or no chance of defying top weight.
I’m very much looking forward to teaming up with Golden Silver, against Big Zeb and Barry Geraghty, in tomorrow’s Grade 2 chase at Punchestown.
Golden Silver was in great form this time last season and can hardly be faulted so far this campaign, having won at Cork and Leopardstown.
He’s a real gent and you’d have to like the way be stuck his head out and battled when beating Tranquil Sea at Leopardstown. I think a lot will depend on which Big Zeb turns up. If the one who ran Masted Minded so close at the Punchestown Festival arrives then we’ll have our work cut out.
Big Zeb, however, ran no sort of race behind Twist Magic at Sandown last time. In any case whichever appears, I think Golden Silver will make it hot for him.
I have just two other rides, Seabass in a handicap chase and Blackstairmountain in a maiden hurdle. Seabass would have won nicely at Navan on Wednesday, but for falling at the last.
He is now set to make a quick reappearance and, if none the worse for that mishap, might finally get it right.
Blackstairmountain hasn’t run since scoring on the flat at Galway way back in July, but expect a major effort from him all the same.
I’ve been riding him at home of late and the quality of his work has surprised me and and went really well on Thursday morning.
Finally, I will be on Cooldine in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown tomorrow week. I know he disappointed at Christmas, but is back in serious order right now.
Cooldine didn’t become a bad horse overnight and I’ll be looking for a performance more in keeping with the one he produced at Cheltenham last March.
