Fergal O’Brien will give Crambo another chance to prove his worth at Cheltenham in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.
The eight-year-old disappointed as a leading contender in the day three feature at last year’s Festival and also failed to fire on his return to the track in last month’s Cleeve Hurdle, trailing home a well beaten fifth of six runners.
There is no questioning Crambo’s ability, though, given he is a dual winner of the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot, and O’Brien is happy to roll the dice back at Prestbury Park on March 13.
“He came out of the Cleeve fine. If there was a race around Ascot on the same day as the Stayers’ Hurdle, we’d be going to Ascot, but there’s nothing for him really, so we’ll have another crack at Cheltenham and see if we can make it third time lucky,” he said.
“He’s in great form, he came out of the Cleeve very well and we’re very happy with him.”
O’Brien’s Festival team is also likely to feature talented mare Dysart Enos, winner of her first six career starts and third behind Burdett Road in Cheltenham’s Greatwood Hurdle in November.
The daughter of Malinas disappointed as favourite for the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Ascot pre-Christmas and has since sidestepped possible engagements at the Dublin Racing Festival and in last weekend’s William Hill Hurdle at Newbury.
O’Brien added: “I’m glad we didn’t go to Leopardstown because the ground wasn’t quite right. We were going to go to the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday, but she just didn’t work as well as we’d have wanted on Friday.
“I’ve spoken to the owners and we’re going to go straight to Cheltenham with her for the Mares’ Hurdle.”
The trainer confirmed Trials Day winner Sixmilebridge is on course for the Turners’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival, while recent Musselburgh scorer Tripoli Flyer could earn himself a shot at the Supreme if proving himself in a higher grade at Kempton on Saturday week.
“Tripoli Flyer will take in the Dovecote (Novices’ Hurdle) and if he comes out of that fine, he’ll go to Cheltenham. If not, he’ll maybe go to Aintree or Punchestown,” said O’Brien.
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Dysart Enos could bid to get her season back on track at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival.
Unbeaten in her first six starts, Fergal O’Brien’s mare made a promising return from 10 months off the track when third behind Burdett Road in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November.
On the strength of that form, the seven-year-old was favourite for the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas, but disappointed for the first time in her career, trailing home a well-beaten seventh under Jonathan Burke.
While an entry in the Irish Champion Hurdle looks ambitious, Dysart Enos does have an alternative Leopardstown option. The valuable Newbury Handicap Hurdle the following week is also under consideration.
Dysart Enos on the gallops at Fergal O’Brien’s yard (Adam Davy/PA)
O’Brien said: “We obviously put her in the Irish Champion Hurdle and she’ll also be entered in the mares’ handicap hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, which is probably a more realistic target.
“There’s also the race at Newbury the following week, so we’ll just have to have a look and see where the best ground is and see how she is and try to get her confidence back.”
Reflecting on her below-par effort at Ascot, O’Brien added: “The only thing we could sort of think of was that she probably had a harder race than we thought at Cheltenham. She put everything into that and maybe we went back to Ascot a bit quick, after being off for so long before the Greatwood as well.
“I know there was four weeks between the two races, but maybe she just wanted a bit longer.
“Her run in the Greatwood looks a very good run now, so we’ll just have to put a line through it and move on and go again the next day.”
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Fergal O’Brien was left scratching his head after his star mare Dysart Enos “never turned up” in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
Unbeaten in her first six starts under rules, the six-year-old met with defeat for the first time when third in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham last month and was strongly fancied to get back on the winning trail in the £125,000 feature.
O’Brien admits confidence was high after stablemate Crambo had earlier notched back-to-back wins in the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle, but Dysart Enos never threatened to land a telling blow as the 100-30 favourite, passing the post seventh of nine finishers.
“What you saw is what you got with Dysart, she just never turned up,” said the Ravenswell Farm handler.
“For whatever reason she was beaten so far out. Johnny (Burke, jockey) said she felt great when he got on her and felt great going to the start. She jumped the first couple grand and then they turned away from the stands and she got a slow jump at the third which left her isolated and she was never going after that really.
“If I was a betting man, after Crambo won I’d have done my brains on her because she was going so well at home. Thankfully I don’t bet!
“Everyone has been so happy with her and her bloods were good and her scope was good, so it was a real head scratcher to see her run like that, but she is a mare and they can put in runs like that.”
Dysart Enos could bid to atone back at Ascot next time, with O’Brien adding: “She was beaten from the back of the third really and Johnny did say after from the third-last she did put in a bit of an effort, but it felt like it was under duress and it wasn’t really her.
“She didn’t blow much after the race. I think she probably jumped two or three and thought ‘I’m not really enjoying this today’, so we have to get her back in the mood and hopefully going forward again.
“There’s a mares’ race back at Ascot she could go for next, hopefully on a bit nicer ground.”
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Fergal O’Brien is excited to see Dysart Enos line up for the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
The Grade Two bumper winner looked every inch a top-class prospect in winning her first three starts over hurdles last season, but a minor setback caused her to miss the Cheltenham Festival and she also sidestepped Aintree in the spring due to unsuitable ground.
That meant she had been on the sidelines for 10 months by the time she reappeared in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in mid-November – and while she met with defeat for the first time in seven career starts, O’Brien was satisfied with her performance in finishing third behind the high-class Burdett Road and Be Aware, who is again in opposition in this weekend’s £125,000 contest.
Dysart Enos on the gallops at Fergal O’Brien’s yard (Adam Davy/PA)
“We’d have been disappointed if she was seventh and beaten 15 lengths or something, but she wasn’t. She was beaten three and a half lengths and finished behind two better horses on the day,” he said.
“It was her first run for 10 months, the winner was hard-fit from the Flat and I’m really looking forward to her running on Saturday. She’s in great form, very happy with her.”
Jockey Jonathan Burke, who partnered Dysart Enos for the first time in the Greatwood Hurdle following the retirement of her regular rider Paddy Brennan, has suggested he may look to give his mount more cover and ride her more conservatively on Saturday.
O’Brien feels the fact his new stable jockey has now had the opportunity to get to know his star mare is a major plus ahead of her bid to get back on the winning trail.
“I think there’s a lot of improvement there and we’ve taken that edge off her now hopefully with that first run,” the trainer added.
“Johnny has had a ride on her now and it’s difficult when you get on one in a big handicap and you’ve never ridden them before. It was my idea to have her where she was, as I was bit worried that if she was a bit slow at the first couple of hurdles she’d get left behind a little bit.
“Her jumping was a little bit sticky in novices, but the pleasing thing about her run in the Greatwood was the way she jumped and the way she travelled.
“I think Johnny is really looking forward to riding her, I’m looking forward to running her and we’ll see where she is.”
It promises to be a huge day for O’Brien and his Ravenswell Farm team, with another stable star in Crambo bidding for back-to-back wins in the Long Walk Hurdle.
“If I couldn’t get excited about Saturday I should be in a different job,” he said.
“Am I nervous? Probably not, I’m really look forward to it. You want them to run well obviously, but we’re very happy that both horses are in a good place, so fingers crossed.”
Favour And Fortune (second right) on his way to victory at Ayr (Robert Perry/PA)
Favour And Fortune makes his first competitive appearance since winning the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr in April, with trainer Alan King hoping for a positive comeback.
“He worked very well on Wednesday morning. He had a hold up earlier in the year and I think there’ll be a wee bit of improvement, but I think he’s ready to start,” he told Sky Sports Racing.
“I always thought he was a very good horse last year and he ran very well through the winter on really deep ground. He handles that, but he’s a better horse on better ground, as we saw in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
“I thought we’d get him started and then we can go for something like the Betfair Hurdle, that would be my sort of plan with him.”
Olly Murphy wants to see rain for Go Dante (Simon Marper/PA)
While King would be happy to encounter a decent surface with Favour And Fortune, Olly Murphy is hoping the heavens open to give his Greatwood Hurdle ninth Go Dante the best possible chance.
“If there was rain he’d have a chance, if there’s not rain I’d be slightly concerned, albeit he’ll take his chance,” said Murphy.
“I’ve left the headgear off him. On his day he’s well capable of running very well in these big handicaps, but the softer the ground the better he is.”
Paul Nicholls saddles the Kabral Du Mathan, who won his only start in France and is two from two since arriving in Britain, scoring at Huntingdon in January and on his Kempton return last month.
Kabral Du Mathan wins on handicap debut @kemptonparkrace under a lovely ride from @gingell_freddie. Congratulations to his owners Neil & Alfie Smith. Well done to Ellie who looks after him at home and Natalie who rides him. #42 pic.twitter.com/rsfUmh2CeA
Nicholls told Betfair: “He’s a nice prospect who won tidily on his debut for us at Huntington in January before a little setback ruled him out for the rest of the season.
“I was delighted with his comeback success last month at Kempton where he was firmly on top at the finish. The plan was to take him to Sandown for a valuable handicap a fortnight ago but I withdrew him when the ground turned heavy.
“I’ve had this race in mind since then. He’s unbeaten over hurdles and although he was raised 8lbs after Kempton I feel he has a lovely chance provided they do not get much rain.”
Impero (left) has won at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)
Other contenders include Hughie Morrison’s Secret Squirrel, the Sam Thomas-trained Steel Ally and Irish raider Impero, who has won his last three races for Cian Collins.
“He doesn’t have to front run – we can do anything with him. The good thing about him is we can work around the way the race is run,” said Collins.
“Hopefully there’s a bit more left in him and he won very impressively at Musselburgh (last time).
“I’m not sure what he beat, but the way he did it I was very happy with him.”
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Last year’s winner Crambo is among a field of 10 declared for the Howden Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
The form of Fergal O’Brien’s seven-year-old tailed off following his first Grade One win and he missed his intended reappearance at Newbury. However, jockey Jonathan Burke has seen a different side to him on the gallops recently and expects a better showing.
“I’m really looking forward to him, he missed the run at Newbury, but he’s been training well, he’s fresh and well so we’re very happy with him,” he said.
Crambo (right) edged out Paisley Park last year (Steven Paston/PA)
“He obviously showed a liking for Ascot (last year) and I’m really looking forward to getting him out.
“He used to be a horse you used to have to watch yourself schooling him as he could jam on, but this year he’s much better, you can do whatever you want on him whereas before you used to always want a lead on him.
“At Ascot last year everything went smoothly, but at Cheltenham and Aintree I was never really happy on him, hopefully all that is behind him now.”
Olly Murphy’s Strong Leader took full advantage of Crambo’s absence at Newbury and his now regarded as the leading staying hurdler in the UK. He is aiming for a second top-level win after success at Aintree.
Stepping up markedly in class is Gordon Elliott’s The Wallpark, who was bought by JP McManus after winning at Cheltenham recently.
The Wallpark (right) is bidding for a five-timer (Niall Carson/PA)
Also making the journey from Ireland are Charles Byrnes’ Shoot First, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Hiddenvalley Lake and William Durkan’s Eagle Fang. Beauport, Blueking d’Oroux, Botox Has and Kateira complete the field.
Burke also has a big chance in the Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle on O’Brien’s Dysart Enos, third in the Greatwood on her comeback.
“She ran a belter considering it was 11 months off and probably the right horses came clear,” Burke told Sky Sports Racing.
“I might ride her with a bit more cover this time, but it was the way the race panned out at Cheltenham.
“Hopefully she should be there or thereabouts and naturally you think she’d improve.”
Be Aware, just in front of her at Cheltenham, takes her on again for Dan Skelton. Paul Nicholls’ unbeaten Kabral Du Mathan, Hughie Morrison’s Secret Squirrel and Alan King’s Favour And Fortune also run in a field of 13.
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Fergal O’Brien is upbeat about the Greatwood Hurdle performance of Dysart Enos, despite her unbeaten streak coming to an end with a third-placed finish.
The six-year-old was returning to action having last been seen in January, when she claimed a third successive victory over hurdles after her prior undefeated bumper career.
She was therefore regarded as a real contender for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but a minor injury put paid to that idea and the ground then ruled her out of the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
The Greatwood was a well-established plan for her comeback and also her handicap debut, but it was James Owen’s Burdett Road who took first place as Dysart Enos finished three and half lengths back in third with stablemate Tintintin immediately behind her.
The immediate feeling was disappointment at the defeat, but on reflection O’Brien has identified plenty of positives to take from the performance.
“Initially I suppose we were a bit disappointed, but if you look at the way the race was run we should probably be very happy,” he said.
“She ran better than her mark, she might not have been as well handicapped as we thought, but she was still well handicapped on all known form.
“The winner has had a good Flat campaign since July and we’ve been off for 10 months. He beat us three and a half lengths and gave us 2lb and that (translates to) five and a half lengths.
“In a graded race we would be getting 7lb from him, I think on the whole it was a very good run and we’d have to be pleased.
“She’ll improve a bit, we’d done plenty of work with her but I was over the moon with her jumping.
“That was my one worry going into it, I didn’t know if it would find her out but she was absolutely superb and the way she travelled in the race was fantastic.”
Of Dysart Enos’ next steps, O’Brien added: “There were a lot of positives to build on, but unfortunately there isn’t a great mares’ programme over two miles.
“She’ll probably go to Ascot in December, there’s a good handicap race there, then there’s a conditions race in January back at Ascot. That would be the plan at the minute.”
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Burdett Road will attempt to become the latest to use the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle as a stepping stone to greater things when the classy Flat graduate returns to hurdles at Cheltenham on Sunday.
A Royal Ascot winner as a three-year-old when trained by Michael Bell, he made an immediate impact when sent to James Owen for a juvenile hurdling campaign last term, winning a Grade Two in impressive fashion at this meeting 12 months ago and becoming a Triumph Hurdle contender in the process.
An injury following his defeat by Sir Gino back at Cheltenham in January curtailed his first season over obstacles but he retuned from his setback to plunder a Listed contest on the Level this autumn and also performed with credit in Group One company behind Kyprios on British Champions Day.
Reverting to timber was always inevitable for this high-class dual-purpose operator and with just the three outings in this sphere to his name, his trainer is optimistic he has far from reached his ceiling.
Burdett Road was a winner at Newmarket in the autumn (Mike Egerton/PA)
“He’s in great form and his last two runs on the Flat have been career-best runs,” said Owen.
“He’s schooled well since and has obviously only had three runs over hurdles, so going in against seasoned handicappers would be my only worry. But off his Flat form you would like to think his handicap mark is quite workable.
“He won the juvenile Grade Two on this track, the Old course, this time last year. Albeit that was on different ground, but I don’t think the conditions will inconvenience him. I’m looking forward to getting him back over hurdles.”
The anticipated favourite is Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos who has been flawless in her career to date and arrives off a tantalising handicap mark that connections are keen to exploit having missed Grade One assignments at both Cheltenham and Aintree in the spring.
Dysart Enos is a previous Cheltenham winner (Simon Marper/PA)
With the defection of Sam Thomas’ Lump Sum, it is left to Nicky Henderson’s Under Control to shoulder the burden of top-weight in a race connections won with Iberico Lord 12 months ago.
“She ran quite well in the Galway Hurdle and we’re looking forward to running her,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus.
“It’s a very competitive race, but we’re hoping for a good run.”
One handler with an exceptional record in this race is Dan Skelton and he bids for his third victory since 2016 with Be Aware who carries an unexposed profile following some useful outings last term.
Trainer Dan Skelton has a great record in the Greatwood Hurdle (David Davies/PA)
“He’s got a nice profile and he ran well in a good handicap at Sandown at the end of last year,” said Skelton.
“He also ran well in some nice novice races and although he doesn’t have the experience of some others, hopefully he can be progressive this season and it’s a nice starting point.
“We’ll get on and get in this and see how we get on.”
Emmet Mullins won this with The Shunter in 2020 and fires a two-pronged assault with Jacovec Cavern and Toll Stone who have both showed up nicely on the Flat of late.
Go Dante in action over hurdles (Simon Marper/PA)
Go Dante, meanwhile, is a standing dish in these two-mile handicap events and the Imperial Cup winner heads to Prestbury Park fully primed by trainer Olly Murphy following an early-season pipe-opener.
“He’s battle-hardened and is in good form and trained for the race and we’re looking forward to running him,” said Murphy.
“He’s had his prep run at Ffos Las and he’s had his wind done as well. I wouldn’t mind a bit of rain but I’d love to think he has an each-way chance.”
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Fergal O’Brien felt the handicap mark allotted to Dysart Enos was too good to pass up, which is why she will reappear in the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle on Sunday rather than in graded company.
The unbeaten mare was among the favourites for the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, but a late setback prevented her from turning up.
Connections decided to be patient, rather than rush her back for Aintree or Punchestown, and it means the handicapper has been unable to have a proper look at her given she has not run in a graded race over hurdles yet.
She did, though, beat Golden Ace by nine lengths in a Grade Two bumper at Aintree the year before, and she went on to win the Dawn Run in March.
Dysart Enos at home on the gallops (Adam Davy/PA)
“I’m afraid to talk about Dysart Enos because we got so close to going to Cheltenham last year and then two days before we didn’t get there,” O’Brien told BresBet.
“It is what it is, we feel off 131 we have to give it a go in a big handicap.
“I’m not sure why she’s favourite, there’s better people who know more about that than me.
“She’s in great form, she’s done loads of work. Tom Broughton, who has done all the work on her for the last couple of years, is really happy with her so if Tom is happy, I’m happy and hopefully Dysart is happy.”
With regular rider Paddy Brennan now retired, O’Brien’s new stable jockey Jonathan Burke will take the ride.
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Fergal O’Brien’s highly promising Dysart Enos is due to start her campaign in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November.
The daughter of Malinas was unbeaten in three bumper runs, culminating in Grade Two success at Aintree as she came home nine lengths ahead of Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace.
A perfect start to her hurdling career followed last season, with three decisive victories in competitive novice events leading to her status as a key contender in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
A minor injury scuppered those plans and it was her old rival Golden Ace who won in the Festival contest and then further proved her promise by scoring next time out when stepped up in trip at Listed level at the same track.
Meanwhile Dysart Enos was ultimately unable to get back on a racecourse last term, with her intended trip to Aintree for the Top Novices’ Hurdle called off due to the testing ground.
Dysart Enos at O’Brien’s yard (Adam Davy/PA)
A summer break followed instead, and O’Brien is pleased with how the mare has fared throughout the pre-season ahead of her return to action.
“She’s fine, she’s working very well. I’ve been very pleased with her since she came back in and we’re hopefully planning to start in the Greatwood,” he said.
“That said, I did plan to run her in the Mares’ Hurdle last year and that didn’t work out!
“The Greatwood is what we’re aiming for anyway, fingers crossed that’s where we’ll be going.
“She’s had a great summer and we’re all very happy with her.
“We’ve looked no further than the Greatwood for now, we’ll go there and see where we end up after that.
“Whether that will be going up in trip, staying against mares and fillies or whatever, we’ll just have to see – one race at a time.”
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Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos is on track to shine at Aintree after a late setback scuppered her Cheltenham Festival hopes.
The six-year-old has a flawless record under rules and capped last season with Grade Two success in a highly competitive renewal of the Nickel Coin bumper at Aintree when beating Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace.
Her hurdles career has been equally prolific and in three starts over obstacles she has been a straightforward winner every time, making her a real prospect for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival.
An overreach injury prevented her from lining up at the meeting in a totally luckless week for the O’Brien stable, who lost Highland Hunter and were disappointed to see the well-fancied Crambo underperform in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Dysart Enos’ setback was a minor one, however, and she is now on track to return at Grade One level in the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree next month.
Dysart Enos ahead of the Cheltenham Festival (Adam Davy/PA)
“She’s back riding out and she’s got her shoe back on, it was just an overreach the day before the Festival at the bottom of the gallops,” said O’Brien.
“It was nothing major, but it was enough to stop her as she was lame on the bulb of her heel, hopefully now we can roll on to Aintree.
“I do try to be philosophical about these things, as disappointed as I was, it was hard telling Paddy (Brennan) and the owners but sometimes these things happen for a reason and you have to tell yourself that.”
Golden Ace was the winner of the race in the absence of Dysart Enos, a boost to their Aintree bumper form and no surprise to O’Brien as he already held that mare in high regard.
“I did a few previews before Cheltenham and I said I thought Jeremy Scott’s horse would not be far away, I loved her two runs at Taunton and the fact that she didn’t have a penalty like us, she ticked a lot of boxes,” he said.
Crambo (right) defeating Paisley Park in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot (Steven Paston/PA)
“It’s the two-mile Grade One we’re going for (at Aintree) and I think that’s where Jeremy’s going with his too, so we’ll get our chance again.”
Crambo will also be given another shot at Aintree as he is headed for the Liverpool Hurdle in a bid to return to the form he showed earlier in the season.
“Crambo will go to Aintree, we couldn’t really make head nor tail of his disappointing run,” O’Brien.
“With the disappointment of Dysart Enos not getting there because she was lame in the morning and Crambo running a bit flat, it wasn’t our finest week.
“Johnny Burke looked after him and he’s won over two and a half (miles) round Aintree, so hopefully with the sun on his back he’ll run more respectably than he did at Cheltenham.”
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A late setback has ruled Dysart Enos out of the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
Fergal O’Brien’s star mare has won each of her six starts to date, with three bumper triumphs last season followed by a hat-trick of victories over hurdles this term.
The six-year-old was Britain’s biggest hope in Thursday’s penultimate event against two unbeaten Irish raiders in Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and the Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy, but she was declared a non-runner on the morning of the race.
O’Brien said: “It’s a huge blow, she’s got an overreach unfortunately.
“It’s not serious, it’s just horrendous timing. If it had happened earlier we might have been able to do something about it, but that’s where we are.
“We’ll get her right before we make any plans.”
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Fergal O’Brien has been one of the most upwardly mobile trainers in recent years yet despite racking up the winners, there is one particular itch that he would love to scratch.
O’Brien, who trains locally to Cheltenham, has still to taste success at the four-day Festival and admits the fact he has yet to do so is beginning to annoy him.
However, he is sending his two stable stars to the meeting this year and is happy to take on the Irish battalion with Crambo in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Dysart Enos in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Speaking on a press visit to his yard O’Brien said: “I woke up this morning and thought I’ve 25 or 30 people coming, I could do without this on a work day two weeks before Cheltenham, but actually it’s what we do it for.
“We’re really excited. The Cheltenham Festival has been part of my life for the last 30 years and it’s the best week.”
O’Brien has finished second with the likes of Barney Dwan, Cap Soleil, Imperial Alcazar and Alaphilippe, with a couple of those in agonising photographs. But the near-misses have made him even more determined to stand in the hallowed enclosure as a winner.
“We went there two years ago with Imperial Alcazar and Alaphilippe and we’ve had exactly the same prep. We came away from both of those races having finished second, so disappointed they didn’t win, but not disappointed because we’ve had a great run-up to the race and if they get beaten they get beaten.
Crambo (left) and Punctuation on the going through their paces on the gallops (Adam Davy/PA)
“All I know is if Crambo and Dysart Enos turn up in the form that they’ve been in since we’ve had them, whatever beats them is going to be a good horse and they deserve to win, so that’s where we are.
“We’ve had four Festival seconds, but I’d rather be finishing second than finishing nowhere. Hopefully we can put it right this year.
“It’s definitely a box that we have to tick and something that we need to do. Hopefully this year will be our year and if it’s not hopefully it will be next year – we’ll keep going.
“We’ve got great facilities, great staff and fantastic owners. I was with Nigel Twiston-Davies for 18 years and I’ve been in the game long enough to know that we’ve got all the ingredients here, we just need the right horse on the right day and hopefully it will be this year on Thursday, March 14!”
Paddy Brennan celebrates on Dysart Enos at last year’s Grand National meeting (David Davies/PA)
O’Brien has had a great ally since starting out on his own in Paddy Brennan, his old mucker from the Twiston-Davies days.
“It would be great for Paddy to ride our first Festival winner, but I think Crambo (who will be ridden by Jonathan Burke) is first and I don’t care which one of them wins!” he said.
“I’d be delighted for Paddy if we could get him a Festival winner, that would actually mean the world to us, to everyone here, he’s been such a big part of Ravenswell growing.
“He’s been a huge part of all of this here and hopefully whenever he decides to retire, I’m hoping he’ll still be a big part of Ravenswell Farm. He’s got a great eye for a horse, he’s an unbelievable race planner and is great with the other jockeys, so fingers crossed there’ll be a role there for him somewhere.”
Dysart Enos looked in good form at O’Brien’s Ravenswell Farm (Adam Davy/PA)
O’Brien’s has not always been the sole name on the licence, for a short spell he joined forces with fellow trainer Graeme McPherson and the winners flowed. McPherson then went back on his own following an amicable split.
“We had a great time for a couple of years with Graeme and the numbers were there to show it – we had 141 winners last season, but spread over two sites it was very difficult, so it is much better,” said O’Brien.
“We’ve got a new barn here now and it’s fantastic. It works well, we’ve got some great staff and it’s just much easier having it all in the same place.
“When we came here we thought we might have 50 or 60 horses and tip away, but it’s gone well, it’s a great place to train. It’s a very simple routine and it works for us. Fingers crossed long may that last.”
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As ever, much of the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival has surrounded the dominant position of Irish trainers compared to their British counterparts. But despite the huge hole left by the absence of Constitution Hill, all might not be as bad as it seems for the home team, who appear to have some pretty solid chances.
Grey Dawning has taken to fences well (Nigel French/PA)
A useful novice hurdler last season, he won a Grade Two at Warwick but later fell in Grade One company at Aintree, so we never got to see how he compared to the best. As a result, he began this season a little under the radar but shaped nicely first time out when a close third to Stay Away Fay at Exeter. He then won easily at Haydock and should have beaten Ginny’s Destiny at Cheltenham but for an almighty blunder two out. His performance in easily beating Apple Away and Broadway Boy at Warwick marked him out as a real contender to take on Fact To File in the Brown Advisory, or Dan Skelton could still switch to the Turners to avoid that hot favourite.
Ginny’s Destiny has followed a similar route to stablemate Stage Star (Nigel French/PA)
Quite incredibly, Stage Star’s win in the corresponding race last season was champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ first at the meeting for three years and Ginny’s Destiny could repeat the dose. He has followed a very similar route to the race and, just like Stage Star, the theme of his performances has been putting his rivals under pressure with accurate jumping. Whatever beats him will have to put in a near-perfect round of fencing to get him out of rhythm.
Crambo (Stayers’ Hurdle, Thursday)
Crambo (right) has taken a big leap forwards this season (Steven Paston/PA)
Could this be the year that Fergal O’Brien finally breaks his Festival duck? He has come close on numerous occasions, albeit mostly in handicaps. But this season he is heading there with some top-class prospects. Crambo is already a Grade One winner, seeing off the veteran Paisley Park in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot, after which he was put away to ensure he arrives at his local track at the peak of his powers. In a wide-open year, Crambo has plenty going for him.
Dysart Enos (Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, Thursday)
Dysart Enos has impressed in remaining unbeaten (Simon Marper/PA)
If Crambo is unable to provide O’Brien with a first winner at the Festival, then maybe it will be Dysart Enos. The mare sprang to prominence when she lowered the colours of Queens Gamble in a Market Rasen bumper, where the consensus was the favourite had under performed. The way Dysart Enos then bolted up at the Grand National meeting proved that was not the case. Cleverly campaigned this season to avoid picking up a penalty, she might just have a bit too much speed for the Irish mares, who have been winning in heavy ground all season.
Sir Gino (Triumph Hurdle, Friday)
Sir Gino created a massive impression at Cheltenham (Nigel French/PA)
You could not find a horse who looks less like a juvenile hurdler than this fellow – but he can really motor. While he may look more like a three-mile chaser than a sharp two-mile hurdler, he made a Royal Ascot winner in Burdett Road look rather pedestrian on Trials day, sprinting clear after the last. In most of the last few Triumph Hurdles, Willie Mullins has held the nap hand. This year, however, Sir Gino is set to be a red-hot favourite and there will be long faces at the Seven Barrows yard of Nicky Henderson if he is beaten.
Shishkin (Gold Cup, Friday)
Shishkin is trying hard to rid himself of his bad boy image (Adam Davy/PA)
Given the manner of Shishkin’s last two victories, at Aintree in April and Newbury last month, grinding out wins over three miles, it is hard to fathom how he had the speed to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and an Arkle in his youth. What happened in between those races also casts aspersions on his character, as he refused to race at Ascot and looked a little recalcitrant at the start of the King George. However, when he did hit top stride at Kempton, he showed the size of his engine remains intact when still in front two out – before unfortunately tripping up on landing. He rattled home when second in the Ryanair last year but did not look happy throughout and a year earlier he was pulled up early in the Queen Mother, so it is to be hoped there are no mental scars of Cheltenham.
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Fergal O’Brien feels Dysart Enos has enjoyed the perfect preparation ahead of her bid to see off a formidable Irish challenge at the Cheltenham Festival next month.
The Malinas mare has yet to taste defeat in six starts under rules, with her three wins of last season supplemented by a hat-trick of victories over hurdles.
O’Brien’s team went to £95,000 to secure Dysart Enos’ services at the Goffs UK Aintree sale two years ago and the Ravenswell Farm handler had high hopes from the moment the hammer went down.
A stablehand with Dysart Enos (Adam Davy/PA)
“Dysart has been phenomenal for us, she’s six from six and we loved her when we bought her,” he said.
“From day one I felt we had a good horse because Noel Fehily was underbidder and he and David Crosse are very shrewd judges. Noel actually brought her back from Aintree for us and rang me up and said ‘are you sure you’ve got someone for this mare’ and I said we definitely did!”
Seven months after being bought Dysart Enos made a winning debut under rules at Ludlow before getting the better of the highly-regarded Queens Gamble in Listed company at Market Rasen.
But it was her nine-length success in the Grade Two mares’ bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting that marked her down as a potential top-notcher.
O’Brien added: “The day we bought her I never envisaged this mare would take us where she has. To turn up at Ludlow on the first day, Connor (Brace) gave her a lovely ride and it’s very difficult to drop in behind 14 others at Ludlow and come through and beat the geldings and that race worked out well.
“We genuinely went to Market Rasen thinking we’d finish second to Queens Gamble. Paddy (Brennan) gave her a lovely ride, but I felt Market Rasen probably suited her and she had the speed for it.
“We rolled on to Aintree and that is where she really blew us away. It was a very good field, the form has worked out very well and she was phenomenal that day, the way she travelled through the race and Paddy was able to put her where he wanted.
“As soon as they got inside the last furlong and a half he was able to let her go and the way she opened up and quickened away from them was spectacular.”
Dysart Enos made a smooth transition to the jumping game at Huntingdon in November and the route she has taken since has been slightly unorthodox.
Rather than sticking to her own sex in Listed and graded races, she has gained some valuable experience of Cheltenham, beating the boys in December, before landing cramped odds in another novice event at Doncaster last month.
“Jumping hurdles we’ve planned our route to Cheltenham, rightly or wrongly,” said O’Brien.
“We’re going there without a 5lb penalty, which most winners have over the last few years, but we just felt if we could get away without having a 5lb penalty then surely that’s got to be better.
“The plan was always to start off at Huntingdon and then go to Newbury for the Listed race and none of the owners were at Cheltenham when she won, so I was very grateful they let us run there.
“She can be a bit hot and stressy, so it was important for her to go and see Cheltenham and have a walk round that paddock and come up that hill and see what’s in front of her.
“Hopefully we can get her there in one piece and I think if we do she’ll be in the mix.”
Despite her unbeaten record, Dysart Enos is only third in the betting for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, with Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and the Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy also yet to taste defeat.
O’Brien respects the claims of both, but does not fear either.
Dysart Enos on her way to victory at Cheltenham (Simon Marper/PA)
He added: “Gordon’s horse does look phenomenal and Willie’s horse looks great, but there’s a couple of English horses there I wouldn’t rule out, Queens Gamble being one and Jeremy Scott’s horse (Golden Ace), who I was so impressed with round Taunton.
“We’ve ticked a lot of boxes as we’ve been round Cheltenham and she’s got a lot of speed. You’re hoping Gordon’s horse might want two and a half (miles) and we’ll have the legs on that one, that’s what we’re hoping anyway – you’ve got to cling to some bit of hope when Willie’s and Gordon’s horses are coming over!
“We certainly wouldn’t change anything that we’ve done this season. We’ll see on the day and give it our best shot.”
While Dysart Enos and Stayers’ Hurdle candidate appear the trainer’s two chief Festival contenders, he has a couple of others who could join them on the short trip to Prestbury Park.
Springtime Promise is three from three since joining O’Brien, most recently landing a Grade Two at Sandown, and may line up alongside Dysart Enos in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle if conditions are testing, while Teorie is considered a lively outsider in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Fergal O’Brien has a small but select team for this year’s Cheltenham Festival (Adam Davy/PA)
“It would want to come up soft or worse for Springtime Promise to run. She won over two and a half the other day at Sandown on heavy ground and she could go to Fairyhouse at Easter if it came up soft there,” said the trainer.
“We’ll take it right up to the day and see what the weather does. If it turned up soft she would have a fantastic chance as we haven’t seen the bottom of that mare yet and I could see her coming up that hill in great style.
“I love Teorie, I think he’s got a great attitude. He’s a big price, but he’s in great form. He disappointed a little bit at Musselburgh, but he won very well first time out and then he beat older horses next time at Southwell.
“He’s got a great attitude and loves racing and loves being a racehorse – he loves being amongst them.
“I’m hoping he’ll run very well.”
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Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos was hardly pressed when maintaining her flawless record in the Download The At The Races App Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster.
The mare is considered a real prospect and had done nothing wrong in five starts when heading to Town Moor with three bumper wins and two hurdle victories on her CV.
The Cheltenham Festival is on the horizon for the six-year-old and the Doncaster contest proved to be the perfect preparation as she triumphed at a canter under Paddy Brennan, crossing the line seven lengths ahead as the 1-9 favourite.
“We’re very happy with her, obviously it’s very nerve-wracking when you’re 1-9 on and she had to go and win,” said O’Brien.
“She had to win or it was going to be a disaster, there’d have been a big bubble burst! But she did the job well and we were very happy.
“She did it as well as we hoped she’d do it, she’s in good form with herself and she enjoyed the whole job – that was nice to see.
“I think you’ll see her to better effect in a better race, she was just jumping a little bit up in the air today.
“Her jumping at Cheltenham (in December) was probably better, if you were going to crab her, but in a better race she’ll jump better.”
Paddy Power left the winner unchanged at 7-2 for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in March, and O’Brien added: “She got the job done, Paddy was happy with her, fingers crossed it’s Cheltenham now.”
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