Douvan primed to deliver again in Champion Novice
I suppose he was a fraction keen in Cheltenham but I think that was as much due to the atmosphere and being away from home as anything. He has won around Punchestown before and I think he’ll be a little easier to ride than he was at Cheltenham.
There would be no concern that the little bit of keenness might have left any mark on him. He wasn’t that hard on himself and anyway, it was six weeks ago. It was a two-mile novice hurdle. He didn’t go three-and-a-quarter miles like Djakadam did. He’s had a good break since that too and I’m very happy with him.
He has all the same horses to beat again and to be brutally honest, we’ll be really disappointed if he can’t. You’d expect on the Cheltenham run that Sizing John would be the nearest challenger.
Unfortunately, Willie just wasn’t 100% happy with Vautour on Saturday and again on Sunday morning so he decided not to declare him for the Champion Chase. He rode out this morning and I’m sure he’ll be out again tomorrow and if he was better in himself, he could still make an appearance on Thursday.
So it was a choice between Champagne Fever (5.30) or Felix Yonger for me and I have come down on the side of the former. It was a toss of a coin really. Felix Yonger was impressive at Navan the last day. He was going to be a good winner when he missed the last but that was over two-and-a-half miles. He did beat Mallowney over two miles in Cork though and I think good ground will really suit him.
I was disgusted with Champagne Fever in Aintree but that said, just in the last four or five days, he seems to have really come to life. So when I sat down and thought about it, I think Champagne was a better novice than Felix and I’m willing to give him one more try.
He has proven frustrating at Grade 1 level but I still have a lot of respect for him and at his best, he is very good. He just seems to be very well in the last week, mentally and physically, and I’m hoping that’s a good sign. But I wouldn’t put anyone off backing Felix Yonger.
Valseur Lido (6.40) is the second string of Willie’s in the Champion Novice Chase. Obviously Bryan has the choice, with them both being Gigginstown horses, and it is no surprise he went for Don Poli, who was very impressive at Cheltenham. He looks to be really well.
Like Douvan, he had a nice break and has been built back up for this race. He’s very hard to knock. Everything he’s done, he’s done well. I think Valseur Lido will improve for the step-up in trip but he has to overcome a bad run in Fairyhouse.
It’s hard to see Wounded Warrior overturning the form from the RSA. Irish Cavalier has to improve 15lbs. Apache Stronghold has beaten Valseur Lido but was second to Don Poli at Cheltenham. On all known form, it’s going to be very hard to beat Don Poli.
He’s not flashy, he’s never hard on himself and I wouldn’t mind that he was beaten at Punchestown last year. He’s a better horse now and I think he’ll win.
I had a choice of two in the handicap hurdle and went for Rupert Lamb (4.55) over Lucky Bridle. I think he didn’t stay and needed the run at Fairyhouse. It’s hugely competitive and Lucky Bridle is starting to learn to settle.
Punchestown is not an easy track over two miles over hurdles to make up ground. Lucky Bridle will have to be dropped in to be settled and I just think it’s a tricky enough place to get into a race with those tactics. So I went for Rupert Lamb who won’t be as complicated to ride and only has 10-3 on his back. He’s an each-way chance.
Willie runs St Stephens Green (6.05) in the Land Rover Bumper. He is a horse that Patrick owns. I haven’t ridden him but he worked well enough on Thursday morning in the Curragh. He’ll run a good race but the Land Rover is a difficult race to evaluate. We won it last year with a 12/1 shot, Very Much So.
A lot of the horses are unraced or had just one run. They’ve all come out of a sale last June and were unbroken then, so they’re very inexperienced. I said for the sales race at Fairyhouse when talking about Castella Sforza, that Willie’s don’t tend to be as sharp in these sorts of races as his bumper horses would be later in the year because he likes to give them time. That tells you that Castella Sforza is probably a good horse, the way he won that day.
They’ll be hoping for a good run from St Stephens Green but there is an element of the unknown about the race and the horse.
(
- 4.20)
and
(6.40)
