Pure folly to underestimate Brave Inca
There aren't too many horses over the last five years or so who have looked after us better-financially.
But for many the doubts had begun to creep in-that a number of tough battles had taken their toll and Colm Murphy's gelding had, almost overnight, become vulnerable.
For me the doubts began with a full circuit to travel in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham back in March.
He had long been my banker of the meeting and the dosh had been reasonably liberally sprinkled in his direction.
Passing the stands, however, watching Tony McCoy niggling him along, I turned to colleague, Peter O'Hehir, and muttered “We're in trouble”, or words of a similar nature, if a trifle more ribald.
Early on that final circuit, McCoy managed to get Brave Inca organised and once he began to flow there was really only going to be one result.
In three outings subsequently, however, Brave Inca did nothing whatsoever to quell those fears. He got hammered at the Punchestown Festival in April, ran no sort of race when a poor third to Iktitaf in the Morgiana Hurdle on his reappearance at Punchestown and was all over the place in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse when beating the enigmatic Rosaker a hard-earned three parts of a length.
At Leopardstown last Friday, though, it was as if the old Brave Inca had returned to us. There is nothing particularly notable about the bare result, beating Iktitif by a length and a quarter.
The proximity of no-hoper Silent Oscar in third, beaten a further six lengths, very much devalues the form.
After all, Silent Oscar went into the race rated no less 39lbs inferior to Brave Inca. Nevertheless, there was a style, a panache, about the performance which was hugely edifying. He jumped and travelled great for Ruby Walsh and there was surely buckets under the bonnet.
Two comments were deeply revealing. Firstly, Walsh saying that he now understood why it is so hard to pass Brave Inca. The implication being that he didn't previously.
The second was from trainer-Murphy, who said that it was “unbelievable” how much his star improves from race to race. Perhaps, some of us had forgotten that.
Will he win another Champion Hurdle? Last year, I could not envisage defeat for him. Certainly would not be in any way as bullish now, but definitely will not make the mistake of dismissing him again.
* COULD not believe how pleased Conor O'Dwyer was after War Of Attrition had only finished third behind The Listener and Beef Or Salmon in the Lexus Chase.
Indeed, he was positively bubbling over with enthusiasm. O'Dwyer said the horse had never given him as good a feel at this time of the year.
The biggest disappointment, speaking exclusively through the pocket here, was Catch Me getting beaten by De Valira in a Grade 2 novice hurdle.
Barry Geraghty is a top-class pilot, but he surely played into the hands of the winner by sitting in front for much of the journey.
It didn't take a genius to work out there was every chance De Valira would outspeed him off such a pace.
Loved that performance by Arrive Sir Clive in winning a maiden hurdle by nine lengths. That was last Friday and the ground was dreadful.
The word is that he needs a far better surface to produce his best and he may well develop into a real Cheltenham contender in the coming weeks!
* WAS surprised the stewards wanted to inquire into the apparent improvement in form of Cloudy Bays at Tramore on Monday.
He was the highest rated horse in the contest and had 7lbs in hand of runner-up Mossy Green, which he only beat by a length.
Charles Byrnes' charge had been off for a fair while. He finished third to Rule Supreme and Beef Or Salmon in the Hennessy at Leopardstown in February of 2005 and then wasn't seen again until reappearing on the flat at the Listowel Festival last September.
He was then given a spin over flights, at Gowran Park, before contesting the Grade 1 Nicholson Chase at Down Royal. Cloudy Bays actually performed quite well that day, making a lot of the running, until weakening going to three out.
His last outing, prior to Tramore, was over two miles at Cork, a race worth almost €40,000 to the winner, and he was quickly out of contention after blundering at the fourth.
He's won five chases in his life, once over two and a half miles, and twice at two miles and six and three miles.
The Tramore contest, over two miles and six, was far more suitable, and a lot less competitive, than the Cork race.
He was a big drifter in the market at Tramore, returned at 5-1 from shorter offers earlier on, and only got it into his head to put his best foot forward in the closing stages. Conclusion - this really was much ado about nothing.
