Illusion has the allure of a winner
But before we get to that mare, and others at Fairyhouse, let’s look ahead to Punchestown tomorrow, starting with the battle between Sizing Europe and Big Zeb in the Tied Cottage Chase.
If you cannot get to Cheltenham next month then make your way to Punchestown, because this will be the same as watching the two-mile Champion Chase.
I believe these two are head and shoulders over anything across the water, but as to who will emerge the better now I simply don’t know.
Come Cheltenham, on a decent surface, I would be in the Sizing Europe camp, but conditions will be a lot different at Punchestown and that certainly has the capacity to level the playing pitch.
When really high-class horses such as these meet racing is nearly always the winner and this will be no exception.
I start off on Sunday aboard a horse who should win, Allure Of Illusion, in a maiden hurdle. He is desperately unlucky to be actually still eligible to run in a maiden.
The six-year-old made his debut over jumps on this track and finished second to Joxer. He was very badly hampered at the fourth last and then made up huge ground late on.
He jumped well through the race, is entitled to come on plenty for a first run of the season and I have to be confident.
Simenon has a decent chance as well in the Grade 2 novice hurdle, although this is far more competitive than the previous maiden.
He used to be trained by Andrew Balding in England and disappointed us first time over flights at Fairyhouse. Then he went to Cork and, in the light of Fairyhouse, I was a trifle pessimistic.
I had no need to be, however, and Simenon bolted in by no less than 23 lengths. It was, realistically, a poor race, but still encouraging.
I do think, though, that Charles Byrnes’ Trifolium is going to be a particularly hard nut to crack. I beat him on So Young at Navan and that is rock-solid form. We went a real gallop that day and there was no hiding place.
Willie Mullins sends Sergent Guib’s handicapping in the Pertemps Hurdle and he has to carry top weight. He wasn’t bought out of France with this in mind, but was rather disappointing on his Irish debut at Punchestown.
Sergent Guib’s finished third then to Ipsos Du Berlais and Western Leader and, truth to tell, we were beaten coming away from the second last.
We thought he was a fair horse going there, but he jumped too high and I think a watching brief is the wisest course of action for the moment.
That’s a remark as well which probably can be applied to Up The Beat in the three and a half mile National Trial Chase.
He won a beginners chase at Fairyhouse and now has to carry joint top weight here. I hope he is as good as handicapper, Noel O’Brien, seems to think.
Right then back to my heroine at Fairyhouse and the bould Maggie Connolly in a conditions hurdle. She only got to the fourth at Limerick at Christmas, before parting company with Emmet Mullins.
That was her first outing since winning at Limerick the previous Christmas, so you could hardly describe it as an ideal preparation.
Maggie has been hard enough to train, but Willie has had a clear run with her of late and she is working well and in good order. It’s a tricky contest, but that said she should go close all the same.
Willie has a number of other possibilities, headed by The Bosses Cousin, and Patrick Mullins, in a maiden hurdle. My wife, Gillian, is related to Willie and this horse is called after her, but they still won’t let me ride him! Anyway, The Bosses Cousin has schooled quite nicely.
Two more of Willie’s worth a second glance are Rockyaboya, in a handicap hurdle, and his newcomer, Peking To Paris, in the bumper.
Peking To Paris is by Flemensfifth, has been around the place a long time, has plenty of work done and is able to gallop.
Glancing back at last weekend, I could not have been more pleased with both Big Buck’s and Hurricane Fly. I exercised patience on Big Buck’s at Cheltenham, in contrast to Ascot previously, and he delivered in spades.
Hurricane Fly surprised Willie and I, at least a little, at Leopardstown. I think Thousand Stars didn’t run up to his best, but it was still a brilliant performance on the part of the Hurricane.
Next Tuesday is a big day for the Walsh and Carberry families, with my brother, Ted, marrying Nina. I’ll be sitting down on Monday and scripting my best-man’s speech.
There will be no shortage of material and I’m sorely tempted to tell the unvarnished truth. But Ted was good to me when I got married so I’ll have to return the favour, I suppose.
