Tag Archive for: Bunting

Baring Bingham looking favoured test for Ile Atlantique

/in /by

Tony Bloom’s Ile Atlantique is “95 per cent sure” to line up in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, after a weekend where more clues were on offer in the novice hurdling division.

The Brighton & Hove Albion supremo has seen his flagship horse Energumene land the Queen Mother Champion Chase the past two years, while Penhill is another to carry Bloom’s blue and white silks to success at Prestbury Park, in both 2017 and 2018.

Also trained by Willie Mullins, Ile Atlantique appeared a prime candidate to add to Bloom’s Festival tally when bolting up on his first start over hurdles at Gowran and lost little in defeat when headed close home by Readin Tommy Wrong in the Grade One Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle last month.

A muddling race saw the six-year-old having to cut out most of his own running in the hands of Paul Townend and with connections bypassing the option of running at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival, they are content to remain at an intermediate trip.

“I think the Baring Bingham is going to be his race at the Festival” said Bloom’s racing manager, Sean Graham.

“I did speak to Willie (on Tuesday) and even though he has an entry in the Supreme Novices’, I think we are 95 per cent sure we will go for the two-mile-five race which makes sense because that is the trip he wants anyway.”

He went on: “His run at Naas was only his second run over hurdles and he was left doing the donkey work which wasn’t the plan.

“The plan was for the horse that Patrick (Mullins, Chapeau De Soleil) rode to be in front, but he sort of walked his way through the first few hurdles and because Ile Atlantique jumped the first two so well, he was left in front and Paul thought there is no point taking a pull and he may as well let the horse go on.

“Paul was very happy with him and we probably set the race up for the winner as we gave him something to aim at.

“He’s run so well in that race without things going to plan and you would be hopeful there would be some improvement from then. He’s had a long break and held an entry at the Dublin Racing Festival, but after Naas, Willie’s first reaction was we won’t run him again and go straight to Cheltenham.”

Despite Ile Atlantique’s Festival destination looking more inked in than pencilled, there are still a few more weeks for his place in the Closutton pecking order to be determined – a picture that became slightly clearer at Leopardstown.

All three Grade Ones for the inexperienced hurdlers went the way of Ireland’s champion trainer and although chief Baring Bingham threat Ballyburn may now be destined to run in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the victory of outsider Dancing City highlights the strength of opposition amongst Ile Atlantique’s stablemates.

Tony Bloom with jockey Paul Townend after Cheltenham Festival glory with Energumene
Tony Bloom with jockey Paul Townend after Cheltenham Festival glory with Energumene (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Graham continued: “There are so many owners and horses to take into account that Willie is probably going to have three in each race that are first, second and fourth/fifth in the betting or something like that and he will obviously go into the races with a strong hand.

“Ballyburn looked so good over two miles on his last two runs you would be saying to yourself ‘if it isn’t broke, why fix it’ and if someone offered me evens which race he runs in, I would be backing Supreme anyway.

“They all look hot races and I looked the other day and I think Ile Atlantique was a 10-1 chance to win it.

“It would be great if Paul chose Ile Atlantique as it would show where he was thought of in the pecking order, but even if he doesn’t, it was shown at the weekend Willie can still win with his second or third string and I think we definitely go there with a chance.”

Bloom’s Festival hand will also contain Bunting, who is set for a crack at the Triumph Hurdle having finished a respectable fourth in Grade One company at Leopardstown.

An impressive winner at Limerick on his stable bow, he was sent off 15-2 for a race in which Mullins saddled the first four home and although ultimately beaten just over two lengths, connections are now keen to take a shot at Nicky Henderson’s highly-regarded market leader Sir Gino.

“It was only his second run over hurdles and he went straight from a maiden hurdle to a Grade One,” continued Graham.

“After jumping the last, when Brian Hayes went to go left, he got his path blocked and had to switch. He wouldn’t have beaten the winner, but maybe could have got third.

“I discussed it with Willie and he’s thinking we may as well go for the Triumph. With Nicky’s horse (Sir Gino) being so impressive at Cheltenham, the race might cut up a bit and in the past there has been only six and eight runners – you don’t get the 25 runners you used to get.

“So he’s on course for the Triumph, but we will need the horses to stay sound between now and Cheltenham. You see it every year, they get stone bruises, they pull muscles, so you need a fair bit of luck to get two horses there in one piece.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Energumene will be given all the time he needs to return to his best

/in /by

Connections are confident a patient approach will see Energumene return at his best next season.

Willie Mullins’ dual Champion Chase hero was imperious when defending his two-mile crown at the Cheltenham Festival last March, but has been denied the opportunity to bid for a hat-trick having suffered an injury which has ruled him out of the current campaign.

Owned by Brighton & Hove Albion chief Tony Bloom, Energumene is unlikely to be seen on track again until the 2024-25 season, as the Closutton team seek to give their high-class operator as much time as possible to recover from his setback, something seen as key to Energumene returning in the form of old.

“He’s recovering well,” said Bloom’s racing manager, Sean Graham.

“It was an injury that needed a little bit of time and he’s doing well and is recovering. The signs are good, but you never can tell so we will have to wait and see. The vets are very happy with him so fingers crossed.

“It was a case of if we can’t go to Cheltenham then we give him the whole of the season off and give him plenty of time to recover for next year.

“The way we are talking at the minute we will be giving him as plenty of time to recover as we possibly can. It’s not a career-threatening injury and it is just a case of us being patient. Tony is very patient and he will give him as much time as the horse needs.”

Meanwhile, the exciting Bunting will attempt to hit the bullseye at the Dublin Racing Festival next month where he could secure his ticket to the Cheltenham Festival.

An impressive winner when trained in France, he doubled up when making a blistering start to life in the care of Mullins at Limerick, producing a taking display to score by an ever-widening eight lengths.

That saw the Bloom-owned juvenile handed quotes as short as 7-1 for the Triumph Hurdle in March, but with both victories coming in testing conditions, connections are keen to see if he can repeat his exploits so far on a sounder surface.

“He won his first ever race in France and we bought him after that, so his run at Limerick was only his second ever time on the track and he’s open to loads of improvement,” said Graham.

“He handles soft ground very well because it was very soft when he won in France and very soft when he won his maiden hurdle at Limerick, so we just wonder how effective he will be if the ground gets a lot quicker.

“We don’t know and we’re just hoping he turns out he is as good as you hope he is going to be.”

Bunting will now head to Leopardstown’s Grade One McCann FitzGerald Spring Juvenile Hurdle on February 3 and a contest his handler has won the past two years with high-class pair Gala Marceau and Vauban.

Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom owns hot juvenile prospect Bunting
Brighton and Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom owns hot juvenile prospect Bunting (Mike Egerton/PA)

That will be the perfect opportunity for connections to check out Bunting’s Triumph Hurdle credentials and a contest where he could meet well-regarded stablemates Storm Heart and Salvator Mundi as well as ante-post Triumph favourite Burdett Road, who could be sent on an enterprising raiding mission to the Irish capital by handler James Owen.

Graham added: “The Dublin Racing Festival is his next target, he’s entered in the juvenile hurdle on the 3rd and we wait and see. That will tell us whether we should be going to the Triumph Hurdle or not.

“He’s a horse for the future and he’s only had two races. Expecting him to go and win a Grade One on his third-ever race on the track is a big expectation, but we will see what happens.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns