Banbridge is being readied for a return to action at either Navan or Cork ahead of a planned tilt at the King George VI Chase.
The eight-year-old has won five times over fences for Joseph O’Brien, rounding off his novice campaign with a Grade One victory at Aintree before last season landing the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton and the Champion Chase at Punchestown.
Having proven himself a top-class performer over two and two and a half miles, Banbridge is set to test his powers over three miles at Kempton on Boxing Day, but will make his comeback over a shorter trip.
“He’s coming along well and will probably start off in something like a Fortria or the Hilly Way, with the King George as a medium-term target,” said O’Brien.
If Banbridge does line up in the Fortria Chase at Navan on Saturday week, he is likely to meet the Gordon Elliott-trained pair of Riviere D’Etel and Found A Fifty.
The latter was a ready winner at Down Royal last weekend and Elliott is confident further big-race victories await.
“We’ll probably have Riviere D’Etel in the Fortria again along with Found A Fifty,” he said.
“There’s not a lot of options for him, he either runs in the Fortria or the John Durkan and this could be an easier stepping stone to Christmas. He’s a top-class horse, he was good at Down Royal.”
Both Banbridge and Found A Fifty are entered for the King George, with sponsors Ladbrokes pricing them up at 12-1 and 25-1 respectively.
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Banbridge got up in the final stride to deny Captain Guinness a Champion Chase double in a pulsating renewal of the feature event on the opening day of the Punchestown Festival.
Nine runners went to post for the William Hill Champion Chase, with Mares’ Chase runner-up Dinoblue the 11-10 favourite to beat the boys and provide Willie Mullins with a sixth successive victory in this extended two-mile contest.
Henry de Bromhead’s Captain Guinness was bidding to follow up victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on his most recent outing and looked likely to do so after taking over from the pacesetting Dysart Dynamo at the top of the home straight under Rachael Blackmore.
Mark Walsh was more vigorous in the saddle in behind aboard Dinoblue and while she did respond to pressure to close in on Captain Guinness at the final fence, she was unable to get on terms.
However, Captain Guinness was then reeled in by Joseph O’Brien’s fast-finishing 6-1 shot Banbridge on the run-in.
The eight-year-old, who had disappointed in a soft-ground Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, was sporting cheek pieces for the first time over this shorter trip and needed every yard of it to secure top honours by a neck in the hands of J J Slevin, with Dinoblue a further length and a quarter away in third.
“It was a fantastic race, a great two-mile chase, and a fantastic ride from JJ. I’m delighted for Ronnie (Bartlett, owner) and everyone to have a big winner here in Punchestown,” said O’Brien.
“It wasn’t our day in Cheltenham but we’re delighted to win a big race here today. He’s been a fantastic horse and Ronnie’s patience through the autumn when the ground wasn’t right for us was really what won the race for us today. We were ready to run and had to wait.
“We know what conditions the horse performs on, it’s pretty obvious when you look at all his runs. On better ground, his runs are all very good – and when it gets softer, for whatever reason, he doesn’t perform as well.
“We took the chance at Cheltenham because it’s Cheltenham, but it didn’t work out. We freshened him up to come here and I’m delighted to win a big race with him.”
Bartlett added: “He’s a great horse, it was a great race and he was trained to perfection. It’s going to be a quiet night tonight, early to bed!
“Two or three out, you were thinking he’d maybe be placed, but he showed some turn of foot over the last.”
Banbridge is set to lead a select Joseph O’Brien team to Aintree next week, with Triumph Hurdle fourth Nurburgring also among the Owning Hill handler’s raiding party.
O’Brien may be lacking in numbers in Liverpool but will undoubtedly saddle some quality, with star chaser Banbridge attempting to atone for a disappointing showing at the Cheltenham Festival.
Conditions ultimately proved too soft for the good ground-loving eight-year-old in the Ryanair Chase at Prestbury Park, but he has some high-class chasing form to his name.
Owned by Ronnie Bartlett, Banbridge was a Grade One winner on Merseyside 12 months ago in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase and is as short as 7-2 with bet365 for the My Pension Expert Melling Chase over the same course and distance on Friday, April 12.
However, he will also be given the option of stepping up in trip to three miles for the previous day’s Aintree Bowl – a race where he could meet the likes of John ‘Shark’ Hanlon’s King George hero Hewick.
“Banbridge will have a couple of entries there, as well as a couple of the juveniles, Nurburgring and Intellotto,” said O’Brien, with conditions in the north west set to have a significant bearing on where Banbridge lines up.
“Banbridge has options for both races and of course it will be discussed with Ronnie as we get closer to the time – and we will see what the ground is like. We haven’t made a decision on that yet.
“It was a bit soft for him at Cheltenham and we took a chance running, but when you don’t win, you learn something.”
Meanwhile, Nurburgring will be given the chance to build on his encouraging Triumph Hurdle display when he lines up in the Grade One Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle on the opening day of the three-day Grand National meeting.
“Nurburgring ran a very good race in the Triumph,” continued O’Brien. “Hopefully a similar performance would see him in the mix for a place and maybe give them a fright for a bit more.”
He will be joined on the teamsheet by the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned Intellotto, who was underwhelming in Grade One company at the Dublin Racing Festival but bounced back to his best with a comfortable victory at Limerick last month.
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The Ryanair Chase remains “very much the plan” for ante-post favourite Banbridge, despite concerns about ground conditions ahead of next week’s Cheltenham Festival.
Joseph O’Brien’s charge was a non-runner in the Turners Novices’ Chase at the showpiece meeting last year due to the rain-softened ground and the official going at Prestbury Park on Tuesday morning was soft, heavy in places.
Banbridge made an impressive start to his campaign when accounting for subsequent Ascot Chase winner Pic D’Orhy in the Grade Two Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton and he has since been saved for the Festival, with a final decision on his participation unlikely to be made until the morning of the race.
“There’s still a long time to go between now and then, there’s lots of racing to happen and lots of weather forecasts that will come and go,” said O’Brien.
“As we’ve said all along, we’ll look forward to the race and hopefully we’ll walk the track on the morning of the race and hopefully he can run.
“Very much the plan is to run. He’s prepared well for Cheltenham so far.”
Banbridge is set to lead a small but select team of “six or seven” runners for O’Brien across the biggest four days of the season in the Cotswolds.
He added: “Hopefully we’ll have something running most of the days, some of them would like the ground a bit softer and some of them would like it a bit quicker.
“At the moment, it looks as if it’s going to favour the horses that prefer a bit of juice, but let’s see what happens – it can dry out fast and it can get softer quickly too. We’ll keep an eye on things over the next week.”
Lark In The Mornin heads the betting for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, but O’Brien revealed his participation is “up in the air”.
Considering some of his other running plans, he said: “Nurburgring is an intended runner in the Triumph Hurdle, he is still entered in the Boodles but he’s going to run in the Triumph.
“Home By The Lee is in the Stayers’ Hurdle, we’ll have Solness in the Grand Annual and Busselton in the Ultima Handicap Chase, so there’s a few runners there.”
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Banbridge could head straight for the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival following his successful reappearance at Kempton.
Joseph O’Brien’s charge proved his worth at the highest level as a novice over fences last term, placing in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse and the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown before enjoying his day in the sun in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree in the spring.
Banbridge made his first competitive appearance in nine months in last weekend’s Silviniaco Conti Chase, and O’Brien believes his defeat of the race-fit Pic D’Orhy is clear evidence the eight-year-old has improved since last season.
He said: “It was a lovely ride from J J (Slevin) and a lovely performance from the horse. It was a career-best on figures and we’re looking forward to the spring with him.
“You’re always hoping they might put up a nice performance on their reappearance and he has been delayed a couple of times so he was a little bit rusty, particularly in the straight jumping the second- and third-last, but he got a good jump at the last and went and won nicely.
“It’s one thing being a Grade One novice, but it’s another jump up to hold your own in open company. It looks as though he might be able to do that in the spring.”
Banbridge is a 5-1 shot with Paddy Power for the Ryanair Chase, and while he will be aimed for Cheltenham, O’Brien hinted he could look elsewhere should testing conditions prevail in the Cotswolds, adding: “The programme will map itself out and the Ryanair is the obvious next spot for him, but we’ll be watching the weather.”
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Banbridge kept on strongly to become the first Irish-trained winner of the Grade Two Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton.
Joseph O’Brien’s eight-year-old was having his first outing for 275 days but got the better of defending champion Pic D’Orhy thanks to jumping the final fence better under JJ Slevin.
Pic D’Orhy, who coasted to a 16-length success in this contest 12 months ago, set the pace early on from Banbridge, with the other three runners in a line a few lengths back.
Notlongtillmay made a brief forward move on the turn for home, while Edwardstone and Janidil never quite got into the contest.
That left Banbridge and Pic D’Orhy to battle it out up the home straight and a late blunder by the latter proved decisive, with the 3-1 victor prevailing by a length and three-quarters.
Winning owner Ronnie Bartlett told Racing TV: “We were always looking for good ground for him and we got it today. He was maybe a wee bit rusty at times but we’re very happy – he put up a solid performance.
“He made a few mistakes but he’s been off the track for a long time, so it’s pretty exciting.
“He just seems to be very professional, he’s more mature, he’s got bigger and thicker and he’s just in a good way. He was very cool about travelling over here, he was relaxed and it was a good way to start the season.
“We’ve had him bubbling for a long time and there have been races we were going for but the ground wasn’t what we wanted, but Joseph said there is still some improvement to go and we’re happy with that.”
Banbridge was cut from 10-1 to 5-1 for the Ryanair Chase by Betfair, Coral and Paddy Power.
“We’ll wait and see what the ground is like, he’s a spring horse, so we’ll watch him accordingly, but all being well, that’s the race we’ll be going for,” added Bartlett.
Winning jockey Slevin told ITV Racing: “He was a very good horse last year, when he won a Grade One, but we felt he’d just straightened up a bit this year, so we hope he’s a better horse now.
“He was a little bit rusty on the way round, so he just had to blow away a few cobwebs, but we’re delighted with him.
“All four of his competitors had good form and came here with a good chance, so hopefully he’ll have learned a bit from that run and can still progress a bit.”
There was a sad postscript to the race, as Notlongtillmay suffered a fatal fall at the last fence.
Tearful trainer Laura Morgan said: “It’s absolutely horrendous, he didn’t deserve that. He just took a nasty fall at the last and broke his shoulder.
“He’s been our stable star and it’s so upsetting. It will leave a massive hole in the yard every day, he was such a character as well – and little Ernie, the pony that has come with him, he will miss him.”
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Banbridge takes aim at the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase when he makes his eagerly-awaited return in a high-class contest at Kempton on Saturday.
Joseph O’Brien’s eight-year-old is no stranger to making raiding trips to the UK and, having won at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022, registered a first Grade One in Aintree’s Manifesto Novices’ Chase at the back-end of last season.
That Liverpool victory was the last time the Ronnie Bartlett-owned chaser has been sighted, with the wet weather leading to him being kept under lock and key until now.
However, his handler is keen to get Banbridge’s campaign started ahead of key targets at the major festivals later in the season.
“He’s in good form and has prepared well for this race,” said O’Brien.
“He’s been ready to run for a little while now but just hasn’t had suitable conditions.
“We’re looking forward to getting him started and hopefully he runs a nice race in preparation for the spring festivals.”
Pic D’Orhy coasted to a 16-length success in this contest 12 months ago but faces a much sterner challenge this time around.
Paul Nicholls’ Melling Chase hero took advantage of Shishkin planting at the start on his reappearance at Ascot and the defending champion returns to the Grade Two event attempting to maintain a 100 per cent record at the Sunbury track.
“He won this by 16 lengths a year ago and has a solid chance of completing the double,” Nicholls told Betfair.
“I don’t think he was at his best when he was successful in his only race this season at Ascot, where he found the ground quicker than ideal. But he still won decisively and we fancied our chances against Shishkin before he refused to start.
“Pic D’Orhy is in good shape, working nicely and I’ve had this race in mind for him for a while.”
Alan King saddled Balder Success to victory in the 2015 running of this contest and now sends out Edwardstone looking to repeat the feat.
The Arkle winner took a step forward from his Shloer Chase return when a brave second in the Tingle Creek prior to Christmas, but with the Barbury Castle handler accepting defeat in the red-hot two-mile division, Edwardstone now has the Ryanair Chase firmly on the radar for March.
He will be partnered by his usual jockey Tom Cannon, who feels the better underfoot conditions at Kempton could inspire a return to form, as he races further than an extended two miles for the first time over fences.
He said: “I think the better the ground, the better it is for him, although he does handle any ground, with the exception of extremes.
“He hasn’t had decent ground in his two runs this season and hopefully he will appreciate that going up in trip.
“He has won well around Kempton before over fences in the Wayward Lad (Novices’ Chase) and it is a flat track, which should help him see out the trip.
“However, we won’t know if he does get the trip until he has run, and the horse will do all the talking.”
Laura Morgan is another handler with half an eye on the Ryanair Chase at the Festival, with her Notlongtillmay freshened up after finishing a gallant second to Stage Star in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, while Willie Mullins’ Janidil completes the field of five heading to post.
Joseph O’Brien is looking forward to seeing Banbridge make his belated reappearance in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton on Saturday.
The eight-year-old won three of his five starts as a novice over fences last season, rounding off his campaign with a Grade One victory in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree’s Grand National meeting.
Also a Grade Two winner at Cheltenham and placed behind the top-class pair of Mighty Potter and El Fabiolo last term, Banbridge has not been seen since his success on Merseyside nine months ago, but is poised for a comeback this weekend.
“He’s an intended runner at the moment,” O’Brien confirmed on Monday.
“He’s missed a couple of races earlier this season, just because of unsuitable ground and things have meant he hasn’t got to run, but we’re looking forward to hopefully getting him started at Kempton.
“The spring was always going to be his time, he’s training well and everything has been going well. We’ll keep an eye on the going, but we’re looking forward to getting him started all being well.”
Banbridge is one of seven entries for the Grade Two, with the sponsors making him a 2-1 joint-favourite alongside the Paul Nicholls-trained Pic D’Orhy, who was last seen winning the 1965 Chase at Ascot.
Alan King looks set to step Edwardstone up in trip, with the crack two-miler having proved no match for Jonbon in either the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham or the Tingle Creek at Sandown so far this season.
Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up Notlongtillmay could represent Laura Morgan, while Willie Mullins could send Janidil across the Irish Sea.
Olly Murphy’s Thunder Rock and Elixir De Nutz from Joe Tizzard’s yard are the other contenders.
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Joseph O’Brien is pondering the options for Grade One scorer Banbridge ahead of his impending return to the track.
A Cheltenham Festival winner over hurdles in 2022, the seven-year-old made a real impression in his novice chasing season, winning at Cheltenham in the autumn and chasing home El Fabiolo in the Irish Arkle before securing big-race success at Aintree in the spring.
Soft ground and the persistent wet weather has so far seen him kept under wraps this season, but O’Brien is eager to get his campaign up and running and is mulling over the numerous upcoming options.
A step up to three miles could be on the cards if electing to run in either Leopardstown’s Savills Chase (December 28) or the Savills New Year’s Chase at Tramore, while a trip to Kempton for the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase on January 13 is another possibility.
“He’s in good shape and he has a few options over the Christmas period and into the new year and when we find the suitable race for him he will be ready to make his reappearance,” said O’Brien.
“He has the entry at Leopardstown and there is also the Silviniaco Conti at Kempton in the new year and there’s the race on New Year’s Day at Tramore. There are different races over the next month or so that are all possibilities.
“We’re looking forward to getting him back out.”
O’Brien is also planning a Christmas appearance for taking Fairyhouse scorer Nurburgring, who will take the next step up the juvenile hurdling ladder in Leopardstown’s Grade Two Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle on December 26.
He added: “I’m very pleased with him and I thought he was quite impressive as well (at Fairyhouse).
“The plan for him is he is likely to go to Leopardstown at Christmas time for the juvenile hurdle there.”
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Cheltenham Festival absentee Banbridge struck Grade One gold in the Racehorse Lotto Manifesto Novices’ Chase, the opening race of the Grand National meeting at Aintree.
Winner of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle at Cheltenham last season, Joseph O’Brien’s charge subsequently failed to fire on Merseyside – but it was a very different story 12 months on.
Banbridge made an excellent start to his career over fences in the autumn, winning at Gowran and Cheltenham, and after being placed in the Drinmore and the Irish Arkle the seven-year-old was due to contest the Turners’ Novices’ Chase at the Festival but was taken out due to unsuitable ground.
With that freshness advantage perhaps key, the 2-1 shot raced on the heels of the Turners’ Novices’ Chase winner Stage Star for much of the two-and-a-half-mile journey before taking over halfway up the straight in the hands of JJ Slevin.
Saint Roi came from further back in an attempt to launch a challenge after the final fence, but Banbridge was always doing enough in front and passed the post with a length and a half in hand.
Stage Star, the 6-4 favourite, weakened to finish last of the five runners.
O’Brien said: “JJ gave him a lovely ride and it’s great to come here with a fresh horse. He was a little bit sticky over the first couple, normally he’s quite exuberant but he was a little bit slow. Once he got into his rhythm he was lovely.
“We took him to Cheltenham early in the season to get experience and then we ended up missing it (Festival), but that’s the way it goes.
“We ran him in the Drinmore and we knew he was just a much better horse on better ground so there was no point in wasting runs on heavy ground.
“I think we probably saw the result of minding him earlier in the spring today. It was beautiful ground today, on the easy side but perfect spring ground.
“We declared on Saturday just in case the rain came and I wanted to walk the track. He won’t run.
“We’ll look at Punchestown. There’s no race over two and a half but while he could stay further in time, I’d imagine it might be back at two miles there because he’s not slow. Two would be more likely but I don’t know yet.”
Of the Willie Mullins-trained Saint Roi, Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus, said: “He was a little bit keen, but jumped well bar one.
“There were no excuses, he was good at the last and Mark said it was lovely ground.
“He’s entered at Punchestown and Willie will decide if he goes there.”
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Banbridge and Nusret will both be heading to Aintree as Joseph O’Brien shuffles his pack following the Cheltenham Festival.
The former was a staying on second in the Irish Arkle when last sighted and was declared to run in the Turners Novices’ Chase won by Stage Star before the ground at Prestbury Park went against him on the day of the race.
He will now be redirected to Liverpool where both the opening day Manifesto Novices’ Chase (April 13) over two and a half miles and the shorter Eft Systems Maghull Novices’ Chase on Grand National Day are possible options.
Meanwhile, Nusret – who was among the favourites for the Boodles before swerving the Festival – will be set a Grade One assignment in the Jewson Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle having picked up the Adonis at Kempton on his last raiding mission to the UK.
“Banbridge will go to Aintree all being well,” said O’Brien. “He will have entries in the two-mile race and the two-and-a-half and he’ll run in one of those.”
“Nusret is going to Aintree as well. It will be a lovely race to run him in.
“I think he’s right in the mix with the UK runners and I think he’s right in the mix with his Irish form as well.”
Home By The Lee is another who could make O’Brien’s teamsheet for the Grand National Festival following his brave effort in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
The eight-year-old rallied with great credit after making a juddering mid-race error and was a staying-on fifth at the line – beaten just shy of four lengths behind the victorious Sire Du Berlais.
The Liverpool Hurdle (April 15) is now a possibility along with the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival (April 27) and an enterprising Channel-hopping trip to Auteuil for the Grande Course De Hures D’Auteuil (May 20).
“He didn’t get the rub of the green and was lucky to stand up with the mistake he made, but he has come out of the race well,” continued O’Brien.
“He has options in Aintree, Punchestown and in France – the French Champion Hurdle.”
Staying closer to home, however, is one-time Derby favourite High Definition who got somewhat bogged down in the soft ground in the Festival-opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
The Owning Hill handler is yet to decide whether he steps the classy son of Galileo up in trip for his next outing or persists over the minimum distance – but he is on course to be seen at either Fairyhouse for their April Easter Festival or Punchestown later in the month.
“He just got stuck in the tacky ground a bit,” O’Brien added.
“He jumped well all the way, but JJ (Slevin, jockey) said he knew after he had jumped two hurdles he was struggling a bit in the sticky going.
“We’re looking at both options (in terms of trip) and he has options in Fairyhouse and Punchestown.”
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Mighty Potter bids to extend his faultless chasing copybook and advertise his potential superstar quality when he goes for gold in the Turners Novices’ Chase.
Gordon Elliott’s six-year-old has won all three starts over the bigger obstacles and backed up his Drinmore success with another top-class victory in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, accounting for Adamantly Chosen by eight and a half lengths.
That marked him out as a possible Gold Cup horse in the making, and Elliott is full of hope heading into his biggest test yet at Cheltenham on Thursday.
Elliott said: “I don’t think you could be anything but impressed with him in Leopardstown – he looks the real thing. I loved how, coming by the line, he was only getting into top gear really.
“We won’t start leaping up and down about him yet and we’ll let him do the talking, but I wouldn’t mind having a few more like him.”
Those looking for a chink in the favourite’s armour will point to his sole visit to Prestbury Park, when pulled up behind Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last March.
“He’s a big horse now, but he was every bit as big last year and gangly,” added Elliott. “If you look at the Supreme last year, he just never got into a rhythm and I think he landed on top of a hurdle and it was all over then.
“Everything is so easy to him. Even at home he’s kind of a big baby still, but he’s exciting. I couldn’t be more happy with him.
“He was never happy in the Supreme last year. He was beaten after a mile. I suppose it’s always a concern, but he’s a very relaxed horse and a year older.
“I don’t think he’s been properly opened up yet. He’s just a relentless galloper.”
A big danger to Mighty Potter would have been Banbridge, but Joseph O’Brien had voiced ground fears and he was withdrawn on Thursday morning.
Nicky Henderson saddles Balco Coastal, who won a decent novices’ handicap chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and then chased home Gerri Colombe when narrowly defeated in the Scilly Isles at Sandown.
The Seven Barrows trainer feels the seven-year-old is an assured jumper and can be a leading player.
He said: “He didn’t do much wrong and I think there is a bit of improvement to come.
“I just wondered if he had a right good blow. I thought he’d gone and won the race, to be honest with you. I just think there is a little bit more to come. I’m not quite sure where from, but I do.
“It looks quite a good division, but I think he is entitled to take his chance.
“I just think he got outstayed at Sandown. We’ve quickened up from the bend to the second-last and it just sort of came at him again a bit.
“We might wait a bit longer. He loves being up there and he jumps very well.”
Few trainers went into the meeting in better form than champion Paul Nicholls and Stage Star, a top-class hurdler last term, has done little wrong in four starts over fences, winning three times.
His only reverse came in a Grade Two at Newbury in November, when the ground was deemed too quick and he has won twice subsequently, including at Cheltenham last time.
“He is a progressive horse and won very well the other day,” Nicholls said. “He has been a grand horse this year and won at Plumpton, making all, after Christmas, then won very nicely at Cheltenham off top-weight.
“He stayed on strong the last time and he is a progressive horse, but these are good races and you can run really well and finish third or fourth.
“Another summer on him and he will be a smart horse to go looking at better chases over here.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/270872652-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2023-03-15 13:23:502023-03-16 11:45:13‘Everything is so easy to him’ – Elliott full of hope with Mighty Potter
A tilt at the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is still on the cards for High Definition, despite his first foray into Grade One company over hurdles ending in disappointment at Leopardstown on Sunday.
A high-class performer and one-time Derby favourite when trained by Aidan O’Brien on the Flat, he made a seamless transition to the National Hunt sphere when making his debut for Joseph O’Brien at the Dublin track over Christmas – taking a maiden hurdle by a going-away four and a quarter lengths.
The from of that result got a boost when Jetara finished second in a mares’ Grade Three recently, while the sixth, Diverge, bolted up by 23 lengths at Punchestown on his next start and meant that High Definition reported for Grade One duty at the Dublin Racing Festival as the biggest danger to the then unbeaten Facile Vega.
Attempting to go stride-for-stride with the 4-9 favourite from the front, the son of Galileo only got as far as the fourth flight before unseating jockey JJ Slevin in a race that also saw the Willie Mullins’ hotpot blow out and the Supreme market turned on its head.
However, the five-year-old is reported to be none the worse for the experience and the Cheltenham Festival opener remains the likely next destination for High Definition providing he proves his well-being over the next few weeks.
“He has come out of the race well and we’ll see how he is over the next couple of weeks, but we’re potentially looking at going straight to the Supreme with him from here,” said O’Brien.
“We’ll see how he is before confirming that decision, but if he was to go to Cheltenham that would be the race.”
With no plans for another run before Cheltenham, High Definition could head to Prestbury Park with just the one completion over hurdles under his belt. But his handler is not concerned about a lack of experience and believes his jumping will stand up to the test of a Festival Grade One.
He continued: “I wouldn’t be too worried about that (jumping experience). It would have been nice to get a nice clear round in Leopardstown, but I don’t think he did anything wrong and I was very pleased with how he jumped the second and third hurdle.”
O’Brien also looks to have an ace card to play in the novice chase division at Cheltenham in the form of last year’s Martin Pipe winner Banbridge.
His Festival success in 2022 came over an intermediate trip, but he showed his adaptability when returning to Prestbury Park to land the Arkle Trial over two miles in November.
Having stayed on strongly to grab second in the Irish Arkle at the weekend, the Owning Hill trainer admits the sensible thing could be to return to two and a half miles for the Turners Novices’ Chase next month. But the impressive nature of Mighty Potter’s win at Leopardstown means all options are being kept open for now.
“He stayed on all the way up to the line. He missed the last which probably cost him a few lengths as well, but we were very pleased with the run in what was an extremely hot novice chase,” said O’Brien, reflecting on Banbridge’s Dublin Racing Festival outing.
“We will keep his options open in both the two-mile and middle-distance novice chase (at Cheltenham) and a decision will be made closer to the time.
“From watching the race in Leopardstown it would suggest it makes sense to go up in trip, but then that looks a very hot race as well so we’ll keep our options open and a plan will be made after we’ve spoken to Ronnie (Bartlett, owner) closer to the time.”
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