Little doubt but that War of Attrition will get three miles
It is a contest which has attracted 11 entries, there definitely won't be 11 runners, and badly needs War Of Attrition to go head-to-head with Beef Or Salmon. The chances are he will face the starter. Speaking yesterday, Morris said: “I want to run him over three miles at Down Royal, but don't want to tear the bottom out of the horse on heavy ground.”
The word from the track was that the ground on the chase track was now heading towards yielding, so a couple of reasonable days would almost certainly see War Of Attrition taking his chance.
It could provide a fascinating tussle between an up-and-coming pretender and a horse who now has plenty to prove.
Morris, understandably, is a trifle reluctant to commit War Of Attrition for the moment, he is after all only six, to a gruelling battle in testing conditions. He did stay two miles and six, essentially standing on his head, when beating Kicking King by three lengths at Punchestown last month.
That came on pretty decent ground, but War Of Attrition was doing all his best work at the end and there seems little doubt about him getting an extra two furlongs, whatever the surface.
Spoke to Conor O'Dwyer, who has always been a believer in this horse, recently and he has no doubts about his ability to stay, indeed he indicated he is even crying out for further.
It is hard to know what to make of Beef Or Salmon right now. Pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he hardly raised a gallop, you couldn't say he exactly set the place alight on his reappearance in the Irish Cesarewitch at the Curragh.
But with Michael Hourigan's horses in rude health, it would be crazy to start writing him off.
Getting back to Kicking King for a second, it is mildly surprising to note the number of people inclined to question the horse, following that shock defeat by War Of Attrition.
He looked anything but a Gold Cup candidate this time last year when Beef Or Salmon put him in his place in the James Nicholson.
Too much shouldn't be read into his latest performance.
The proximity of Pizarro tells us all we need to know.
Kicking King only managed to beat him a short head at Punchestown and that just doesn't make sense.
Pizarro was out of contention when falling in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, won of course by Kicking King, and the pair then met as well at the Punchestown Festival. Kicking King scored again and beat Pizarro 18 lengths into third place.
THAT was a promising return to action by Ted Walsh's Jack High at Naas on Saturday, when finishing third over flights behind Baron De Feypo.
The contest was over two and a half miles and that's rather short for the ten-year-old at this stage of the game.
Jack High rounded off last season with two cracking efforts, finishing second to Numbersixvalverde in the Irish National at Fairyhouse and then travelling to Sandown in late April to grab in excess of £120,000stg in the Betfred Gold Cup.
Anyway, Walsh may go in search of more sterling later this month with Jack High a possibility for the Hennessy at Newbury.
Absolutely loved that performance by Kauto Star at Exeter on Tuesday. The result of the race, needless to say, was almost completely overshadowed by the sad death of Best Mate.
Life goes on, however, and Paul Nicholls' youngster was certainly the one to take out of the contest.
It was only his third ever race over fences and, though ultimately well beaten by Monkerhostin, showed he may well be a rare talent in the making.
He is only five and appears to have a massive future.
Moscow Flyer remains head and shoulders over all the two milers at the moment, but is rapidly edging towards the veteran stage, and Kauto Star may emerge as a major threat as the campaign progresses.
