Griffin thrilled with Triumph hope Lounaos
Lounaos advertised her claims when fourth last time behind Hardy Eustace in the AIG Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
However, the County Kilkenny-based handler admits his filly, a general 4-1 favourite for the two-mile juvenile championship, faces strong opposition in her bid to return to winning ways at Cheltenham.
“I was delighted with that run as the reason for running in that race was for her to gain valuable experience that she wouldn’t gain at juvenile level,” Griffin said.
“She was very impressive (in a Grade Two at Leopardstown) after her maiden hurdle win at Navan.
“Previously she had won impressively in the November Handicap – a race in which three-year-olds have a very poor record – and after those three victories I suppose people started to take a bit of notice of her.
“She has done everything that has been asked of her and I’m very happy with her preparation but she’s not going to have it all her own way in the Triumph Hurdle.”
Griffin nominates Katchit, Mountain and fellow Irish raider Duty as serious rivals to his charge.
“It’s a very difficult race to win and Katchit is a horse I’ve been very impressed with. He seems to be in the mould of (Lounaos’ stablemate) Kazal in that he seems to be up for a battle,” he went on.
“You just don’t know where the bottom of that horse would be and he will keep pulling out all the way to the line and then Mountain was a very high-class performer on the Flat.
“His jumping was probably not as fluent as his connections would have liked over the last couple of hurdles but he’s coming from a top-class camp and I’m sure they’ll have him spot-on.
“Then at home here in Ireland, Duty has emerged from the pack in the last few weeks and he’ll be a genuine contender as well.”
In an ideal world, Griffin would like to send Lounaos into battle on ground riding just on the easy side of good, but would not be unduly concerned if the hallowed Cheltenham turf is even softer.
“I’d like good, safe jumping ground that’s not too soft and not too fast,” he told At The Races.
“I think what we would call good to yielding would be her favourite ground - that’s the surface she won the November Handicap on.
“She showed that day that she does have a turn of foot and she can quicken off a strong pace, which is something she hasn’t been able to show on heavy ground.
“Soft ground wouldn’t bother her too much though and, as I’ve said before, the only reason she wouldn’t turn up would be fast ground.”
Meanwhile the pressure of preparing Lounaos for the Triumph Hurdle has not prevented Griffin from mapping out a Flat campaign for Finicius.
The 2000 Guineas hope could finish only fifth when making the transition to Group company last July.
However, Griffin believes there were excuses that day and still holds him in high regard.
“He’s a horse that we think an awful lot of and he won his maiden at the Curragh on Derby weekend, when he was very impressive,” he said.
“Then in his run back in Group Three company at the Curragh he was very unlucky in running.
“Unfortunately on the day he was supposed to meet Teofilo he got a stone-bruise on the run-up to the race and just never came back from there.
“We had to leave him off then but he’s in super order and we’ll go to a Guineas trial in Leopardstown in early April.
“We’ll probably know our level after that but I’m very happy with him and he’s done very well from two to three,” he said.
