La Touche Cup right fit for Big Shu again, says Maher
The nine-year-old clinched Punchestown’s La Touche Cup last April, following up his victory in the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at Cheltenham Festival.
Having finished a good third when defending his Cheltenham crown, Big Shu was strongly fancied by some for the world’s most famous steeplechase, but he only made it as far as the third fence before falling under Peter Buchanan.
Maher is looking forward to seeing his charge run in the La Touche Cup again and is already thinking of a return to Merseyside in a year’s time.
The trainer said: “It was disappointing, but that’s the National. If it was easy it wouldn’t be worth a £1million and you wouldn’t have 40 lunatics galloping down to the first!
“A horse fell in front of Big Shu at the second and going down to the third the loose horse backed off it, our horse’s head was right up his backside and he didn’t even see the fence. It was just one of those things.
“He came back in one piece, which is the main thing, and he is a National horse, I’m still sure of that.
“We had the back man look at him when he got home as he’s always had a back problem and unbelievably, whatever he did when he came down at Aintree has put the back problem right.
“He didn’t go half a mile on Saturday, so I would imagine he’ll go to Punchestown now for the La Touche Cup.
“There are plenty of races there he could run in, but I’m a cross-country man through and through and I think that’s where he’ll go.”
Maher plans to send his charge down the cross-country route again next season before a return trip to Aintree and is keen on a rematch with this year’s Cheltenham Festival winner and National runner-up Balthazar King.
Maher said: “He’s still only a baby really, so hopefully he’ll be back there (Aintree) next year and he’ll go down the same route.
“We’ll stick to the cross-country races, he has a date with Balthazar King lined up and we’ll find out who is the best.
“I’d be fairly hopeful we could maybe beat him at Cheltenham, but we’ll see.”
At Fishers Cross, a beaten favourite on National day, going down by a length to Whisper in the Grade One Silver Cross Stayers’ Hurdle, may also head to Punchestown.
While it was a creditable effort at Aintree, the seven-year-old pulled off a shoe and trainer Rebecca Curtis feels it was detrimental to his chances.
“He came back good, although his foot was a little bit sore where he tore off the shoe,” she said.
“He tore it off with a circuit to run and he couldn’t get it off, so he was standing on it for the second circuit, which is probably why he was jumping a bit right.
“It’s possible he could run at Punchestown. We haven’t made a decision yet and we’ll just see how he is in the next week or so.”
King Of The Picts will chart a route towards the Punchestown Festival following his pleasing performance at Aintree.
Pat Shanahan’s consistent five-year-old put the gloss on a satisfying campaign when taking third place behind Josses Hill in the Grade Two Top Novices’ Hurdle on Merseyside.
King Of The Picts is not finished just yet, though, and will try his luck back at the top table in the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle on April 29.
Shanahan said: “I was very pleased with him in Liverpool.
“He’s been knocking on the door in good races all season and he’s due to win a big one.
“We’ll stick him in the Grade One at Punchestown and hope that the ground stays on the good side, like it was in Liverpool.”
