Dysart Enos looks like having every chance of finally breaking trainer Fergal O’Brien’s Cheltenham Festival duck judged on her latest impressive victory in the opening race at Prestbury Park on Friday.
The Ravenswell Farm handler has yet to enjoy success at the sport’s showpiece event, but has come close on several occasions and is a regular visitor to the winner’s enclosure at his local track’s other meetings.
Dysart Enos, whose three bumper wins included a Grade Two success at Aintree, predictably outclassed her rivals on her hurdling debut at Huntingdon last month, but she had more on her plate taking on the geldings in the British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
The 5-6 favourite proved more than up the task, though, jumping significantly better than she had done at Huntingdon and travelling like much the best horse in the field into the home straight.
Beat The Bat did his best to stay in the race on the run to the final flight, but Dysart Enos was not for catching and found plenty on the run-in to pass the post with two and three-quarter lengths in hand.
“You say the race at Huntingdon was an egg and spoon race, but Mary (who was third that day) has been placed in a Listed race at Newbury,” said O’Brien.
“She did everything she had to do that day at Huntingdon. It was lovely to come here, but I was questioning it yesterday as everyone was saying ‘why are you going to Cheltenham’?
“The reason I wanted to bring her was that she is quite hot, and I didn’t want to come here in March having had an easy passage through just picking and choosing our races. I wanted her to see Cheltenham.
“If she got beat today, of course I would have been disappointed, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. I wanted her to come here and see Cheltenham and get some of the atmosphere.”
Paddy Power make the winner a 4-1 joint-favourite from 6-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in March, which O’Brien confirmed as her main objective.
He added: “We’ll aim for the mares’ novice and she would only have one more race beforehand, if that.
“She is very special as we have never had anything so quick.”
Allaho will bid to provide Cheveley Park Stud with another big-race victory at Kempton on Boxing Day after being confirmed an intended runner in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase.
While better known as a major force on the Flat, the owners have enjoyed huge success over jumps in recent years, with the Gold Cup triumph of A Plus Tard the obvious highlight of several winners at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Willie Mullins-trained Allaho is a dual winner at Prestbury Park, having twice dominated his rivals in the Ryanair Chase, while he proved his stamina for the three-mile distance of the King George with another sensational performance in the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup.
The nine-year-old missed the whole of last season through injury – but having proved his well-being with a comeback win in the Clonmel Oil Chase last month, Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson is looking forward to seeing him line up in one of National Hunt racing’s most prestigious races.
“That (King George) is the plan and has been the plan for a while. I said to Willie to do whatever he thinks and it’s his decision,” said Thompson.
“He was obviously off the track for a year and a half. He’s been a brilliant horse for us and you’d hope that he’s going to be in good enough shape to compete and do a decent job.
“He’s been a fantastic horse, it will be great to be there and it’s very exciting.”
Thompson admits Allaho’s comeback victory over just two rivals at Clonmel was more solid than spectacular and is keeping his fingers crossed he can show his true brilliance in the King George.
He added: “He won the Ryanair in 2021, the Ryanair in 2022 and the Punchestown Gold Cup in 2022, and in between times he put in that performance in the John Durkan in 2021, which I think it’s fair to say was a bit workmanlike.
“He wasn’t the Allaho that he was in either of the Ryanairs or in the Punchestown Gold Cup that day, but he still won another Grade One.
“Who knows what will happen at Kempton, but it’s great to be in the race. I appreciate every single one of our Grade Ones, especially the amazing Grade Ones, and the King George is definitely one of those.
“There are Grade Ones and there are Grade Ones – and this is a proper Grade One.”
David Egan has been announced as the new retained jockey for Amo Racing, signing a two-year contract with Kia Joorabchian’s racing operation.
Rossa Ryan and most recently Kevin Stott have previously held the position of first jockey for the ambitious Amo team who enjoyed their first Royal Ascot and Group One victories in 2023.
The position has been vacant since Stott was released shortly after the Irish Champions Festival where star performer King Of Steel could only finish fourth to Auguste Rodin with Amo electing to book the ‘best available’ jockey for the final months of the 2023 campaign.
That allowed Frankie Dettori to link up with King Of Steel on British Champions Day where Roger Varian’s colt helped provide a thrilling swansong to the Italian’s career in the UK and now it is the opportunity of Varian’s primary rider Egan to get first call on Amo’s wealth of talent.
“I’m very pleased to announce David as our first jockey,” said Joorabchian in a statement from Amo.
“We have had a brilliant ongoing relationship over the years and used David consistently on our horses, going back to Mojo Star’s brilliant second in the Derby.
“We now feel it’s the perfect time to consolidate our team and having David on board will be a valuable addition.”
He went on: “David is a talented, ambitious jockey with experience at the top of the sport having won races of the highest calibre all over the world, and growing up as Roger Varian’s stable jockey has given him invaluable experience and maturity.
“Aware of the size of our organisation, we must implement systems to ensure longevity and I have tremendous confidence in this decision. Having David on board for the next two years will help us develop long-term stability as a team.
“I would also like to thank Roger Varian for his tremendous support, confidence and blessing in this decision.”
Egan was crowned champion apprentice in 2017 and got his first taste of top-level success when riding as retained jockey to Prince Faisal, winning the Saudi Cup, Dubai Sheema Classic and Juddmonte International Stakes aboard Mishriff.
He has since claimed a first Classic aboard Varian’s Eldar Eldarov in the St Leger, with the combination also striking at the Curragh in the Irish equivalent in September.
Egan said: “I’m delighted to have signed a two-year contract with Amo Racing. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Roger and Hanako Varian, and all the Varian Stable team.
“They have been like family to me since I first started in racing, and I’d just like to thank them for their friendship and support over the last seven years.
“I am very excited about the new challenge ahead and I look forward to being part of the Amo Racing team.”
JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry admitted Mark Walsh found it tough to choose between top-weight Fakir D’oudairies and So Scottish in the Virgin Bet December Gold Cup, before coming down on the side of the latter.
Perhaps not appropriately named given he is owned, trained and will be ridden by an Irishman, So Scottish is only six and followed a very typical softly-softly campaign favoured by his trainer Emmet Mullins last season.
He won a maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan, a novice chase at Tipperary and a three-runner event at Carlisle, before finishing second to Boothill in a £100,000 race at Ascot.
The winner is now rated 18lb higher, while So Scottish went on to finish unplaced at Cheltenham and Aintree before a quiet comeback at Gowran.
Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’oudairies, on the other hand, has provided Walsh with Grade One wins at Ascot, Aintree and Fairyhouse.
Berry said: “It was a difficult choice for Mark, as he’s had some great days on Fakir, and he’s in great form and Joseph is happy with him, but he decided to go with Emmet’s.
“It’s hard to choose a top-weight when you’ve got the option of one younger with less weight. Fakir has been very good to Mark and it was hard, but he’s gone with So Scottish.
“I certainly wouldn’t rule out the top-weight, his last run was in a Grade One and now he’s in a handicap. Joseph is happy and he goes there in good order.
“With the other one, we’ll learn a little bit more on Saturday, hopefully he puts in a good round and runs well. His run with Boothill looks good form now.”
Jonjo O’Neill jnr rides Fakir D’oudairies.
Olly Murphy’s Thunder Rock has been favourite all week and the trainer feels he has enjoyed the perfect preparation.
“He ticks a lot of boxes, but that being said, it is still a very competitive handicap worth a lot of money,” said the Wilmcote handler.
“This is his first run in a handicap, he’s very well in himself and schooled well on Thursday morning and I’m looking forward to running him. Hopefully, we get a bit of luck in running, and hopefully he’ll run very well.
“You’d maybe think the handicapper wouldn’t let him run off 146 given how his Carlisle run has worked out.
“He’s in good form, I’m really glad he’s got a run under his belt, he’s coming into it a relatively fresh horse and I really think this outer track will suit him really well, it’s more of a staying track.
“He ran well in the Dipper there last year and stayed on strongly, so hopefully he can get into a rhythm early and we’ll see how he gets on.”
Paul Nicholls runs two in Il Ridoto and Monmiral, with Harry Cobden choosing the latter.
“He’s a Grade One winner over hurdles and ran very well over fences last season against some top horses like Jonbon and The Real Whacker,” Nicholls told Betfair of Monmiral.
“But he probably wasn’t quite right last winter, so we gave him a wind op in the summer because we felt he was struggling with his breathing. His homework this autumn has been really good and he also pleased us in a recent away day.
“I’m going down the handicap route and targeting this race because he is a class horse on an attractive mark of 145. Harry Cobden was keen to ride Monmiral after partnering him in a piece of work.”
On Il Ridoto, Nicholls said: “He is consistent and always runs well, but the task is a bit harder now running off a 5lb higher mark.
“Il Ridoto again ran a solid race in finishing third behind Stage Star in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last month. He might improve plenty from that first run of the season, but will need to if he is to win this.”
Lower down the weights is Alan King’s Grandeur D’Ame, a wide-margin winner at Wetherby last time out.
“I would have liked the weights to have gone up,” said King.
“It’s a big step up for him, but we’ll let him have a crack and see where we are.”
Grandeur D’Ame is 1lb out of the handicap, with Gavin Cromwell’s Railway Hurricane is even further out of the weights.
“Unfortunately, he’s 5lb out of the handicap, but we have a 5lb claimer (Connor Stone-Walsh),” said Cromwell.
“He’s pretty consistent and runs well without winning. It’s a nice pot and he’ll take his chance.”
Jack Jones’ An Bradan Feasa will look to add another good Cheltenham run to his CV in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle on Saturday.
The Camelot three-year-old was formerly trained in Ireland by Joseph O’Brien and ran twice for prior connections, once on the Flat and once when winning a Ballinrobe maiden hurdle in September.
He then swapped stables to join Jones in Newmarket, making his debut at Cheltenham in November under Tom Bellamy.
The race was won by the impressive Burdett Road, now highly fancied for the Triumph itself, but there was a great deal to like about An Bradan Feasa’s performance in second.
He returns to Prestbury Park, with Jones hopeful he will take another step en route to the Festival in March.
“He came out of Cheltenham great, he’s a bonny little lad and not a lot bothers him,” said Jones.
“He ran a cracker, having jumped and travelled well, and bumped into a horse who is clearly a good one in Burdett Road.
“The owners were over the moon with that run, we were toying with a few options and it made sense to go back to Cheltenham, having run well over course and distance.
“It’s the owner’s dream and my dream to have a winner there.
“He’s come out of the race great and he’s schooled twice in between, he goes there in really good order.
“We had it in our minds that we’d work back from the Fred Winter and I’d like to think we’d be going there with two good runs (at the track), which will do him no harm at all.”
As he was last time out, Jones’ charge will be ridden by Bellamy, who said: “An Bradan Feasa is a nice horse for a trainer that is going places.
“He did everything right bar win last time, but the right one was in front of us that day, as Burdett Road looks exceptional.
“Although this is on the New course as opposed to the Old one, any form around Cheltenham is a massive plus. He seemed to stay well the last day and he goes there with a live chance.”
An Bradan Feasa is set to meet seven rivals, including Paul Nicholls’ Kabral Du Mathan, who makes his first start on British turf after winning at Clairefontaine in July.
Dan Skelton’s Kourosh also comes into the race in winning form after a 21-length maiden hurdle success at Wetherby in November and so too does Anthony Charlton’s Balboa, who makes his debut for this stable after winning at Chepstow on his final start for Milton Harris.
In a historic moment for Caribbean athletes, Jamaican Jaydon Hibbert and St Lucian Julien Alfred made history by claiming the prestigious Bowerman Awards in Denver, Colorado on Thursday night. Both the University of Arkansas and the University of Texas in Austin had the chance to sweep the award, a feat never accomplished since its inception in 2009, with both male and female winners in the same year.
The Razorbacks had Hibbert and standout 400m/400m hurdles runner Britton Wilson, while the Longhorns featured elite sprinter Alfred and decathlete Leo Neugebauer among the six finalists. However, it was Hibbert and Alfred who walked away with the coveted Bowerman Award, creating a historic Caribbean sweep.
Hibbert, at just 18 years old, became the first Jamaican, the first college freshman, and the youngest ever athlete to win the award. On the other hand, Alfred became the first St Lucian to claim the prestigious accolade. Both athletes expressed surprise and gratitude during their emotional acceptance speeches, leaving many in tears.
Alfred's coach, Eldrick Floreal, was visibly moved as the sprinter thanked him for the emotional and mental support that transformed her from a timid 17-year-old into a confident 22-year-old woman. Alfred also expressed gratitude to her parents, her proud mother in the audience, her absent father, and her UT teammates.
Hibbert extended his thanks to his coaches, parents, and everyone who played a role in his journey from Vaz Prep through Kingston College to the University of Arkansas.
Both athletes had outstanding years for their respective schools, contributing to their teams' success. Although neither was the first from the Caribbean to win the award (an honor belonging to the late Deon Lendore of Trinidad and Tobago in 2014), their recognition marked the first time that a pair of international student-athletes were honored since the award's inception.
Hibbert, at 18, is not only the youngest winner in the award's history but also the fifth men's horizontal jumper to receive the recognition. Alfred, at 22, is the seventh female sprinter to secure the Bowerman trophy. Both athletes made significant contributions to their teams' success in the NCAA championships, setting records and earning multiple titles.
Hibbert achieved collegiate indoor and outdoor triple jump records during his freshman year, sweeping both NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor titles. Alfred, contributing to five NCAA titles for the Longhorns, secured victories in the 60- and 200-meter indoor championships and the 100- and 200-meter outdoor crowns in the same year. She also played a crucial role in Texas winning the 4x100 relay at the Division 1 outdoor final, contributing to the women's team title.
General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation, Dennis Chung, has commended the work done by Jamaican football’s governing body on the back of a busy calendar year of football in the country.
The Reggae Girlz and Reggae Boyz hosted seven games between them in Jamaica between September and November.
“It has been an extremely busy year. In September we had three games, in October we had two games and we had two games in November and anyone who knows what it takes to plan a game, it takes a lot of time, effort and resources,” Chung said at a press conference at the JFF offices on Thursday.
“We had so many events during the year so it was really good that we were able to manage through it. My commendations to the staff because I know the amount of work that they go through to put an event on or to mobilize a team, it is significant. The amount of money that we spent taking the women to the World Cup was about US $2 million. We have to manage all of that,” he added.
The Reggae Boyz hosted Honduras, Haiti and Canada in Concacaf Nations League A action while the Girlz hosted Canada in an Olympic Qualifier as well as Guatemala and Panama in a pair of Concacaf W Gold Cup qualifiers.
Chung also pointed out that despite some hiccups such as Visa issues for travelling parties, the federation was able to get through the year with no major hindrances.
“We are grateful for the activity that has happened and grateful, also, that we really have not had any incidents in the year. We had one or two hiccups when it relates to the Visa process but it didn’t cause any major dislocation,” Chung said.
“The first one had to do with the UK incident where the staff was late in getting their Visas because of the move of the processing from Jamaica to New York and then we had the incident of the U-15s going to Sweden. Outside of that I think we’ve had a fairly successful year administratively,” he added.
Without going into specific numbers, Chung also mentioned that the JFF were able to sort out some financial problems they were experiencing.
“The other thing that was initially a challenge for us was the administration of the accounting because, as you know, the JFF has been on restricted funding for a while but I’m happy to say that, based on how we’ve closed out the year and our interactions with FIFA, who we had invited to come here in November, I think we’re in a much better place,” he said.
“We would’ve gotten, during the year, a tax compliance certificate, which many companies in Jamaica do not have. We have been managing very well, certainly better than last year, in terms of the demands of the organization,” Chung added.
Chung also commented on renovations done to the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence located at the University of the West Indies.
“We also did a lot of work at the center and we were able to host some national teams there. The Trinidad National Men’s team was there and the Guyana Men’s team was there as well. We were able to also rent out the facility. It’s now well renovated,” he said.
“2023 was a year of bringing all the chips together, ensuring we have the right capacity in place and we’re as productive as possible given the circumstances,” he added.
The current administration will now turn their attention to the upcoming JFF presidential elections scheduled for January 14, 2024.
Luis Suarez's performances for Gremio show he would have few problems in adapting to Major League Soccer if he joins Inter Miami, says former Los Angeles FC defender Giorgio Chiellini.
Suarez is reportedly in talks with Miami over a move which would see him reunited with former Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
The Uruguayan is seemingly closing in on a one-year deal with the MLS outfit after spending 2023 with Gremio, who finished second to Palmeiras in their first season back in Brazil's top flight, having spent the previous campaign in the second tier.
Suarez scored 17 league goals for Gremio throughout the year, also adding 11 assists to give him the most total goal involvements (28) in the Brasileirao.
The striker, who will turn 37 in January, hit 27 goals across all competitions before departing as a free agent, and recently retired defender Chiellini says he would thrive in MLS.
"You see what Suarez did this year in Brazil… Brazil is not considered a weak league," Chiellini, who was famously bitten by Suarez at the 2014 World Cup, told Stats Perform.
"Suarez scored almost 30 goals, we still see something there and it's still really good. Now football is changing all over the world.
"There are less differences between some leagues in Europe and other countries. The only league that's very different from every other one, I think, is the Premier League.
"But to be honest, the other ones we can compare, and you can also find good players in some weird leagues that some years ago you never considered. Now it is very different."
Jamaica’s leading trainer Jason DaCosta logged his 27th win of the current USA season, when his three-year-old filly Shewearsmyring won the Mahoning Valley third race, on Wednesday.
Sent off as a 7-1 bet, Shewearsmyring, bidden by Fernando Salazar Beccera, finished fast after sitting off the pace. She won the one-mile Maiden Special Weight event by a length, in a time of 1:42.38, at the Ohio racetrack.
DaCosta’s horses boast earnings of US$828,685 in the US so far this year with just under 30 wins, 25 seconds and 31 third-place finishes.
The 38-year-old has 77 wins so far this season with horses’ earnings of JA$86.56 million (US$556,695) at Jamaica’s Caymanas Park, and he is well on course to repeat as champion trainer.
Lucinda Russell’s Apple Away has a new division in which to thrive after a facile chasing success at Leicester
The mare took some notable scalps at Aintree in the spring when winning the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at 16-1, defeating Donald McCain’s Maximilian, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Iroko and Paul Nicholls’ Stay Away Fay.
The latter two horses have since made very impressive starts to their chasing careers, with Iroko making light work of his debut over fences before injury interrupted his campaign and Stay Away Fay winning both chasing starts thus far including the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase most recently.
Apple Away’s first experience at the discipline was in a highly competitive Haydock graduation chase in late November, where she encountered two quality horses in Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning and Willie Mullins’ Galliard Du Mesnil.
The two greys finished in the above order with Apple Away behind them and although beaten, the experience seemed to have served her well when she lined up for the @leicesterraces Christmas Meeting 28th December Book Now Beginners’ Chase over nearly two miles and seven furlongs on Wednesday.
Under Derek Fox she ran prominently and jumped soundly to take an easy lead and stroll to a 31-length success over Nicholls’ Makin’yourmindup with Fergal O’Brien’s Alaphilippe a further length and a half behind – both horses being Grade Two winners over hurdles.
Apple Away is always well supported by members of Old Gold Racing, a large-scale syndicate headed up by CEO Ed Seyfried.
Seyfried was delighted to see the six-year-old get off the mark over fences, saying of the performance: “We are properly, properly excited about her.
“It was a three-horse race and you know the old adage, back the outsider in a field of three, but we were looking at a Grade One winner and two Grade Two winners and she put a very good race to bed by 31 lengths – we’ve got a proper little rocket on our hands.
“She’ll stay and stay, we’re a syndication business trying to give the experience of owning a racehorse to a much wider population of people and to have a horse as good as this that has people on social media squabbling about whether we should go for the Brown Advisory or the mares’ chase – what a wonderful decision to have to make.
“I said that it would give us a huge boost if she could win by 20 lengths but that there was no chance of that. She heard me and over-performed by 50 per cent!
“She’s a very, very tough mare, we let the trainers do their jobs and though it wasn’t set in stone that she would go chasing this season, I love the fact that she has and I think she’s a proper little chaser now. She causes happiness and mirth wherever she goes and I can’t wait to see more of it.
“You saw in the Sefton at Aintree that she can run from the front if we want her to, everyone loves a front runner and I think she’s just going to grab everyone’s hearts.
“In the home straight she jumped into a 30-length lead. She was very careful at Haydock and she was quite careful in the first circuit at Leicester, but by the time the second circuit came around she was fabulous. I loved watching her jump like that.”
Apple Away’s next outing is yet to be decided upon, with the Kauto Star at Kempton and a limited novices’ handicap Wetherby previously under consideration before the Leicester race was added to the calendar belatedly.
Those contests will come only a fortnight after her most recent run, however, and the mare is therefore more likely to return to action in the new year instead.
“If you look at how she was campaigned last year, they didn’t really go for any eyecatching big races until quite late on,” Seyfried said.
“She has so much potential and though we’re not counting our chickens, to have a horse with so much potential in syndicate ownership is wonderful.
“It’s just fabulous, she is a walking morale booster.”
Henry de Bromhead has indicated A Plus Tard is on course to make his comeback in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.
The chaser looked to have the world at his feet when sprinting clear to win the 2022 Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but things have not gone to plan since then.
He was pulled up on his first run since Gold Cup glory at Haydock and was then a late absentee last Christmas at Leopardstown. He made it back to defend his Cheltenham crown but was pulled up after being badly hampered by a faller.
A Plus Tard was last seen finishing third at Aintree to Shishkin and is expected to be joined by stablemate Envoi Allen in the Leopardstown feature.
“I hope both Envoi and A Plus Tard will run in the Savills,” said De Bromhead, speaking to Leopardstown Racecourse.
“A Plus Tard schooled well the other day, he has another big piece of work coming up but he’s in good form, he seems really well.
“Envoi seems really well, he’s in great form. He ran really well at Down Royal so fingers crossed we get a clear run into the race and he’ll be able to put in a good performance.”
Another Grade One contender for the yard over Christmas is two-miler Captain Guinness, who swerved the Tingle Creek in preference for the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase closer to home on December 27.
“That’s the plan at the moment, we’d love to win a Grade One with him,” he said.
“He’s been brilliant, so consistent. Look, it’s a very good race but we’ll take our chance and see.”
Only By Night has got Gavin Cromwell dreaming of March having watched her cruise to victory in the Care At Home Services Mares Maiden Hurdle at Naas.
A Listed bumper winner, she was entitled to score on her hurdling debut and was sent off the 2-5 favourite in a field of 17.
Ridden confidently by Keith Donoghue, her sole rival remaining, Gordon Elliott’s Magic Dawn, was just beginning to feel the heat when she unseated Jack Kennedy at the final flight, allowing Only By Night to coast home by 10 lengths.
Betfair cut her to 14-1 from 20s for the mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham.
“She’s a nice mare and when she won a Listed bumper you would hope she could come on and do that,” said Cromwell.
“She jumped well and was very straightforward.
“The first day she was a little bit keen with Derek (O’Connor) and the last day in Navan she improved from that. You can even see it in her work at home she used to be a bit keen, but she’s grown up now and is very straightforward.
“Hopefully she could be good enough to aim at the mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham. We might as well dream here as in bed!”
She was completing a double on the day for Cromwell and Donoghue following the earlier success of 7-4 favourite Money Heist in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com Handicap Chase.
Gordon Elliott has nominated Croke Park as a likely contender for the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on January 7.
Unbeaten in two outings over timber, Croke Park landed the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan when last seen.
The Grade One at Naas has a rich history having been won by the likes of Mikael D’Haguenet, Bellshill, Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger.
There are 23 entries, with Elliott responsible for eight and Willie Mullins 11.
“The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle is a race we really target every year,” said Elliott.
“There is a lot of racing over Christmas, but this race at Naas is over two and a half miles and we’ll be well represented. We’ve made a good few entries and will split some of the horses up over Christmas, but I’d definitely be thinking that Naas could suit Croke Park.
“Croke Park is a horse we really like. He won well at Clonmel and then went to Navan for a Grade Three over two and a half miles and we couldn’t have asked for any more. The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle looks the next move for him, but I think we’ll have a few runners in the race.
“Firefox is in there after his win at Fairyhouse and is in good form, Search For Glory and Down Memory Lane also have Naas as an option so we’ll see what the next week or so brings.”
Among Mullins’ entries are Blizzard Of Oz, Daddy Long Legs, High Class Hero and Mystical Power, the son of Annie Power.
Owner Max McNeill feels Virgin Bet December Gold Cup favourite Thunder Rock may still have the required improvement up his sleeve to progress out of handicaps.
Olly Murphy’s seven-year-old spent most of last season competing in graded novice chases, just coming up short against the likes of Gerri Colombe and The Real Whacker.
However, the form of his last two races looks especially strong, as he signed off last season finishing second to subsequent Coral Gold Cup winner Datsalrightgino at Ayr before reappearing at Carlisle and beating Mahler Mission, second in the Newbury showpiece.
“His last two runs could not have worked out any better really,” said McNeill.
“I was really disappointed at Ayr last season, we thought he probably should have won but the winner has gone on and won the Coral Gold Cup.
“Then at Carlisle this season, beating Mahler Mission, who was second in the Coral, and we beat him easily, with the Topham winner (Bill Baxter) behind as well – the form has really been franked.
“This is a race we targeted straight after Carlisle with Olly. We are hoping we are a Graded horse, but this will tell us where we are; will he stay in these good handicaps or can he make the step up to graded level.”
Assessing the opposition, McNeill acknowledges the main threat could come from a camp he knows well, champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
“Looking at the race, there are six or seven you’d think can win. I was speaking to Paul Nicholls on Wednesday and he said he hoped I wouldn’t be too disappointed when he beats us on Saturday!” said McNeill.
“He really likes Monmiral, but we beat him quite nicely at Sandown I thought, and we were closing on him fast in the Dipper before that when The Real Whacker won, and we didn’t jump well that day.
“Paul is confident he’s got him right after a long break and Harry (Cobden) has chosen him but his other runner, Il Ridoto, has a chance, too. It’s going to be a tight race and it’s great to be involved.
“We’re sort of thinking we’ll get one chance to win a big handicap off 146 and, for once, we think he’s well handicapped. We think he’s a good horse and the dream is still alive that he can run in a Grade One here or there, and who’s to say he can’t have a crack at the Ryanair if he runs well in this.
“This time last year, we were in the Graded novice chases and he wasn’t a million miles behind Gerri Colombe and look what he’s rated now. I’m not saying ours is Gerri Colombe by any stretch, but I do think he’s handicapped to a level where he should be really competitive on Saturday.”
McNeill, who sponsors a contest at the Cheltenham Festival in March through his Ultima brand, has famously never won a race at the big meeting, and admits he would forego that for another year if it meant he was successful on Saturday.
He said: “I know this isn’t March, but if somebody said to me you can win a December Gold Cup but not have a winner at the Festival, I’d sign it now!”
A total of 12 were declared on Thursday, with JP McManus responsible for top-weight Fakir D’oudairies and Emmett Mullins’ So Scottish.
Fugitif, Grandeur D’Ame and Frero Banbou are also among the field, of which four are out of the handicap.
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