Given the scale of the Irish dominance of the Cheltenham Festival last March it’s tempting to assume our raiders will continue to plunder Britain’s biggest races for some time to come.
The way Henry De Bromhead’s A Plus Tard toyed with his opposition in last weekend’s Betfair Chase only added to that sense of superiority and perhaps explains why stablemate Eklat De Rire is vying for favouritism with fellow Irish raider Ontheropes in today’s big race, the Ladbrokes Trophy.
In a competitive contest, albeit one that appears to lack a horse of genuine Grade One calibre, Eklat De Rire and Ontheropes have decent claims. However, they also have questions to answer.
Eklat De Rire has won three of his four starts over fences but those wins all came on heavy ground and conditions promise to be far less testing at Newbury. That has to be a concern.
Ontheropes got off the mark at the sixth attempt over fences when winning the Munster National last month but the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old has been raised 12lb for that success and is also unproven on a quicker surface.
Mullins did complete the same double with Total Recall in 2017 but the fact that remains the sole Irish success in a race formerly known as the Hennessy since 1980 tempers optimism.
As does the strength of the home defence with Enrilo and Fiddlerontheroof strong contenders for trainers with a good record in this prestigious handicap.
Fiddlerontheroof won only one of his seven starts last season but the Tizzard team were in the doldrums then and he was one of the few of their horses to run anywhere near close to his best, most notably when second to Monkfish in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.
The yard is in far better order now and it was encouraging to see Fiddlerontheroof get back to winning ways when scoring at Carlisle last month. If he can build on that effort, he could give Colin Tizzard a third Ladbrokes Trophy win in six years.
However, narrow preference is for the talented but somewhat quirky Enrilo, a horse who was first past the post in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on his last start last April before being demoted to third for drifting to his left on the run to the finish line.
It was hard to argue with that decision but it was also hard to escape the sense that he was the best horse in the race as he travelled sweetly towards the head of affairs throughout and rallied bravely to retain the initiative after a significant blunder two fences from home.
That race was run over three furlongs further than today’s trip so stamina won’t be a problem and that Sandown run again illustrated Enrilo’s fondness for decent ground.
And given the way he drifted late on at Sandown, returning to a left-handed track should suit him.
He’s a tricky ride for Harry Cobden in that he won’t want to be in front too long but if he can be delivered after the last fence he could be hard to stop.
The one slight negative is the lack of a prep run but Denman twice won this race on his seasonal reappearance for Paul Nicholls and Frodon’s recent exploits in Down Royal showed that Britain’s champion trainer has lost none of his ability to have a horse ready to run for his life first time out. If Enrilo is denied, it won’t be down to a lack of fitness.
Elsewhere at Newbury, Killer Clown can build on his comeback effort in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree to win the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase while Soaring Glory should be able to defy top weight in the Ladbrokes Committed To Safer Gambling Intermediate Handicap Hurdle.
Today’s Grade One action comes from Newcastle where Epatante is fancied to repel promising young pretender Monmiral and the race-fit Sceau Royal in the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
Nicky Henderson’s mare won this contest in imperious style last year but three subsequent defeats mean the 2020 Champion Hurdle heroine returns to Newcastle on a retrieval mission.
However, she underwent back surgery over the summer and if that’s worked the oracle, she could bounce back today.
Selections
Newbury 1.15: Killer Clown
Newcastle 1.30: Valleres (NB)
Newbury 1.50: Masters Legacy
Newcastle 2.05: Aye Right
Newbury 2.25: Soaring Glory (nap)
Newbury 3.00: Enrilo
Newcastle 3.15: Epatante
Newbury 3.35: Eclair D’Ainay
