Improved run by The Bull Hayes simply defies logic
Pride of place has to go to The Bull Hayes and that 12 lengths demolition job on the opposition in Sunday’s maiden hurdle at Leopardstown. It is virtually impossible to reconcile that sort of performance with his previous efforts over flights. The Bull Hayes, admittedly, did make a promising start when runner-up behind the highly-rated Dessie Hughes-trained Si C’Etait Vrai at Naas.
After that, though, it was all downhill. He reappeared at Thurles in the middle of November and went off a 4-6 shot to win a very modest race. Having never been a fan of the horse, I thought that was a ridiculous price, even against 16 ordinary rivals, and laid him on Betfair.
The Bull Hayes made a bad mistake at the fifth and that was obviously no help. But he came there tanking across the top of the track and eased ahead going to the second last.
In the end, however, he found precious little and 25-1 chance Tadhg had no trouble cruising away from the favourite.
Then The Bull Hayes seemed to confirm this was a horse going absolutely nowhere fast when essentially disgracing himself at Cork in December.
He raced with no enthusiasm and was beaten over 21 lengths when sixth of 13 finishers behind Bishopsfurze.
Onto Leopardstown then and watched in baffled amusement as the horse was backed from 13-2 to 5-1.
There was no hint of a smile off the home turn, however. It looked as if The Bull Hayes had just joined in, that’s how easy he was travelling. He bounded to the front, flew the last and swept up to the line so far clear of hot-pot Ballyburke that it simply defied logic.
Connections say he is much better going left-handed and there is clear merit in that. He’s now won three races, two on the flat, and they have all come when heading in that direction.
In addition, the superb Barry Geraghty throwing his leg over the five-year-old for the first time was hardly a minus.
That said it is well to note that two of The Bull Hayes’ best displays on the flat have come right-handed.
He was only grabbed late and beaten half a length by John Oxx’s Aliyfa in a Listed event at Galway and was a creditable third behind Grand Ducal and Alaivan in the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh.
THE second controversy at Leopardstown had to be the ride Timmy Murphy gave long odds-on Jessies Dream in the three-horse Grade 2 novice chase.
This was a shocker. In contrast, Davy Russell was magnificent on Magnanimity, doing exactly what was required, but that combination should still have been sunk without trace.
Jessies Dream’s jumping left plenty to be desired and he was conceding the winner 7lbs. So why Murphy felt he could sit going to the last, with a view to quickening past on the flat, was staggering.
Of course Jessies Dream duly jumped away to his right, losing a length or two, and could never claw back Magnanimity on the flat.
And then there was Paul Townend on Blackstairmountain at Punchestown on Saturday. How he managed to pluck defeat from the jaws of victory was, well disappointing. Rick beat Blackstairmountain with a last-gasp effort by a short head, after both horses had been none too clever at the final flight.
But Townend, universally accepted as a brilliant young rider, took it far too easy on the run-in, even allowing himself the luxury of two glances behind. Flicking the horse down the front just wasn’t good enough.
The stewards, to their credit, did have him in and accepted the explanations offered. They were that Blackstairmountain was tired and, Townend maintained, he couldn’t ride him out fully because the horse was hanging into the rail.
Having since looked at the head-on, there is no doubt Blackstairmountain was hanging into the rail, making life difficult for Townend.
At the same time, you just felt the horse really should have.
