Meade: Pandorama on course for Lexus return
Trainer Noel Meade revealed the news during a stable tour of his Co Meath base yesterday to mark the launch of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival.
Pandorama won the 2010 renewal of the Festival showpiece but has been out of action since suffering a leg injury in the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
“If you lads weren’t here today he was going to work but he’s going to
work tomorrow now,’’ Meade quipped when asked about the nine-year-old’s well-being. ‘‘Everything so far has gone very well. He’s entered in the Lexus and there’s every possibility he’ll run. He’ll have to do a few bits every week between now and Christmas.”
Pandorama faces a stiff test to regain his Lexus crown with Sir Des Champs, Hennessy winner Bobs Worth and the exciting Flemenstar potential opponents in what at this stage looks a red-hot race. Meade concedes it’s hard to see Pandorama getting back to his brilliant best but cites the success of Go Native in getting back to his best after a long absence before his untimely demise last month as grounds for optimism.
‘‘It’s hard to say he (Pandorama) would get back to his best at this stage but you’d be hoping. He’s obviously a very powerful horse with a great stride and he goes alot quicker than you’d think he does. That’s the difference with Grade 1 horses. It’s quite amazing to think that Go Native came back as well as he did. He was off for so long and he came back so well. It was unbelievable, he looked as if he was as good or even better than before.’’
Like his boss, Meade’s stable jockey Paul Carberry is hoping Pandorama can recapture his best days. ‘‘I’d love to see him back,’’ Carberry said. ‘‘You won’t know until you run him. He was a brilliant horse and very soft ground will suit him.’’
Meade is also particularly sweet on Sword Of Destiny. The six-year has won three of his last four races with the exception coming when he came out second best in a battle with Buckers Bridge after making a final-fence blunder at Punchestown in October. Sword Of Destiny will most likely appear in the Grade 1 three-mile Topaz Novice Chase and Meade purred: ‘
‘He’s a horse I love. He’s quite an exceptional horse working at home, jumps really well, a beautiful looking horse. He has the stamina to stay three miles, we brought him back to two miles at Navan and he won over two miles and that’s the sign of a real good horse. I suppose we’d have to be thinking about the three-mile in Leopardstown. He’s entered in the two-mile one as well but I suppose we’ll probably will go for the three miles.’’
Monksland produced a career-best performance to chase home Zaidpour in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle on Sunday and Meade believes his ability to handle different trips leaves lots of options open.
‘‘I was delighted with him in the Hatton’s Grace. Obviously, I would have been happier if he won but I thought he ran a good race. It was his first time up against horses like those. The way he raced you wouldn’t be afraid to go further than two and a half with him. He was coming home really well.’’
Looking further the road Meade ruled out the prospect of Monksland tackling the all-but-unbeatable Big Buck’s at Cheltenham.
‘‘Being realistic there’s no point thinking about the three-mile hurdle at Cheltenham as long as Big Buck’s stays in the game. The long term plan next year will be jumping fences but we’ll stay over hurdles (for now) and we’ll try to duck and dive and see how we go.’’
Meade also revealed that Realt Dubh is ‘‘almost certain’’ to run in Cork on Sunday rather than take on Sir Des Champs and Flemenstar in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown.
