Tag Archive for: Ferns Lock

Christie keen on Festival chance with Ferns Lock

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David Christie classes Ferns Lock as the best horse he will send to the Cheltenham Festival as he eyes up the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase.

Christie saw Winged Leader edged out by Billaway in 2022, while last year he saddled 9-4 favourite Vaucelet to finish seventh in the amateurs’ contest.

However, the exciting Ferns Lock has always looked a class above his contemporaries and having claimed Thurles’ Carey Glass Hunters Chase at a canter for the second year running, he is now poised to be unleashed at Prestbury Park on the final day of the Festival.

“It looks like Cheltenham is the way to go,” said Christie.

“I would probably be in agreement with Ruby Walsh and a few other people in that Aintree would maybe be more his cup of tea because he has so much class and speed, but saying that, you can’t really not go to Cheltenham.

“We’ve been patient and we may as well give it a go and see what it brings us.

“He’s a really exciting horse and has lots of pace. If you were to run him in handicaps or even Graded races then you would be wanting to run him over two and a half miles or even shorter. He’s exciting and his half-brother won a bumper for Ben Pauling at Newbury, so the family have that speed and class about them.”

Ferns Lock was high-up in the ante-post betting 12 months ago when Christie decided to take a patient approach with his young and inexperienced charge.

He swerved the Festival in favour of assignments closer to home then and although set to get his passport stamped this time around and as short as 5-2 with Sky Bet, his handler still has slight concerns about his maturity for a task as mammoth as National Hunt’s showpiece meeting.

Winged Leader was just denied at Cheltenham
Winged Leader was just denied at Cheltenham (PA)

“He’s a big horse, but he’s a very immature horse in his head and we probably in an ideal world would like to get another race into him before Cheltenham,” added Christie.

“We are wary with younger and immature horses that no matter how easy he won (at Thurles), he still has to run three miles and carry 12st on his back over fences on soft enough ground. So I’ll have to just leave it and train him for Cheltenham now but the worry is his immaturity a little bit.”

There is little doubt where Ferns Lock stands in Christie’s pecking order though, with the County Fermanagh trainer describing the seven-year-old as “just a better horse” than those he has travelled to Cheltenham in the past.

He said: “Winged Leader was just beaten there and Vaucelet loves really good ground and has won plenty of hunter chases. He was actually sick at Cheltenham and we didn’t realise until we got back home. He was beaten 10 lengths but he was sick and we didn’t know and then the travelling and that brought these things out.

“But even when you take that into account, this is still a better horse than Winged Leader and Vaucelet. He’s just a better horse. If you asked me to put them 1-2-3, then he would be the best.”

Preparing his string this winter in the west of Ireland has proved tricky for Christie, but if an upturn in the weather can revitalise Vaucelet, he could be handed a second bite of the Festival cherry, with former Willie Mullins inmate Ramillies another on track for the Cotswolds.

“It’s been such a horrendous year in terms of ground and weather and for someone like me who trains in one of the most westerly spots in Ireland, you can’t underestimate how difficult a year that makes it,” explained Christie.

Vaucelet could yet head to the Cheltenham Festival
Vaucelet could yet head to the Cheltenham Festival (Donall Farmer/PA)

“Vaucelet is a spring horse and as the days get longer and everything else, if there is a bit of a spark between now and Cheltenham, then I would definitely consider him.

“The other horse who will run, all being well, is the ex-Willie Mullins horse, Ramillies. He’s just turned nine and I’m basically keeping him fit point-to-pointing and doing very little with him at home – that is his work.

“He’s getting his confidence in the point-to-points and we will aim for Naas on February 10 and if all goes well there, then we will go to Cheltenham.”

He went on: “You can go with a couple of nice horses, but it is difficult to win at Cheltenham and you need so many things to go your way.

“There’s plenty of us in Ireland who have good horses, but you have to have plenty of respect for the likes of Will Biddick and Bradley Gibbs, who won it last year, because they are just good at what they do and they deserve what they get. It’s OK me saying I have a nice horse, but they do too and they know how to train as well.”

High Class Hero extends unbeaten record

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High Class Hero looks likely to be part of Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham Festival squad after making it five from five under Rules in the W.T. O’Grady Memorial Irish EBF Novice Hurdle at Thurles.

This race has been won by some smart performers in the past, with Gerri Colombe, Monkfish and The Storyteller on the roll of honour.

High Class Hero was a red-hot 2-7 favourite to join them after following up a Listowel bumper win with three victories over timber between early August and late October.

A break of 92 days since his last success at Limerick was a minor concern, but the son of Sulamani made light of that lay-off by tracking What Path and Easy Fella before easing smoothly between the pair after the second last, going on to oblige by a comfortable length and three-quarters from the latter.

Winning jockey Paul Townend said: “He settled relatively well, it turned into a dash off the final bend and he made up a lot of ground when we quickened. The conditions are testing, we didn’t go quick early and it was like what he did at Limerick.

“He hadn’t gone anywhere (from Mullins’ yard) since his last run but just hadn’t run in a while, so on the whole I’m very happy and he is progressing.

“I think he has enough runs, which is a help going for the Albert Bartlett (Novices’ Hurdle) and he has the right attitude as well.”

Betfair cut High Class Hero from 9-1 to 7-1 for that Cheltenham Festival contest.

David Christie’s Ferns Lock cruised to victory in the Carey Glass Hunters Chase, having hacked up by 20 lengths in the same race 12 months ago.

This year, he had eight lengths in hand over Romeo Magico at the finish, but Barry O’Neill enjoyed another armchair ride and could easily have extended that advantage on the 8-15 favourite.

Coral reacted by cutting Ferns Lock to 10-3 from 4-1 for the St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham.

“He had to give away 7lb and 10lb and in that ground that is very tough. The only time he has ran on nice ground was here last year and while everyone thinks he is a big, strong horse who likes soft, he is a beautiful mover who wants better ground,” said Christie.

“After finishing races on heavy ground last year, he would make a palate noise but it was nothing major so we put on a tongue-tie as a safeguard. On nicer ground he wouldn’t really need it but I’ll leave it on as he is happy and relaxed with it.

“Cheltenham is his goal, he is coming on all the time and I’m hoping he’d step up from that again now.

“He has an awful size of an engine but is very immature, although is learning in every race. We’ll build for Cheltenham now.”

Purse Price (7-4) showed a smart turn of foot to land the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Maiden Hurdle in emphatic fashion for Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy.

Kennedy said: “It was a weak maiden hurdle but she had been consistent and did it well today. It looked a nice opportunity, so it was good to get her head in front.

“She travelled, jumped well and put the race to bed – it all went to plan. Hopefully there will be another race or two to be won with her and she can also get confidence from today.”

Falco Blitz (16-1) came with a smooth, late surge to land the Duggan Veterinary 4Cyte Handicap Chase under a confident ride by Conor McNamara for his father Eric.

The latter said: “I’m delighted for (owner) Shane Carmody, who is a great supporter of ours, so that winner means an awful lot to me. I’m really delighted to win for him.

“The horse had been a solid, consistent horse who deserved his day and thankfully it came. He was bought the same day as Real Steel (Paddy Power Chase winner) but unfortunately took longer to win. He has been a solid and sound horse, though.

“If he hadn’t won today, we were thinking of the veterans’ chase at Limerick in a month’s time but he is entered in the Leopardstown Chase, so we can think bigger now – if you’re not in, you can’t win.”

Little Mixup (12-1) was another to come through in the latter stages when securing his fourth career victory in the Horse & Jockey Handicap Hurdle under Mark McDonagh, giving trainer Denis Hogan a welcome boost following a recent suspension.

“I thought the handicapper had this lad and I asked him to drop the horse a pound to get him into a 0-116, but it looks like he was right,” said Hogan. “The race cut up though – the favourite tipped up and it probably wasn’t the strongest race.”

He added: “I have to thank all the owners who all stood by me (during the suspension), as it was a tough end to the year. It was messy and I advised owners to send horses here and there, and thankfully I got them back.”

Vaucelet likely to spearhead David Christie’s Cheltenham hopes

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Vaucelet appears to be David Christie’s Cheltenham Festival number one as the handler begins to piece together his plans for the spring festivals.

The Derrylin-based trainer has a strong band of hunter chasers at his disposal and many thought exciting six-year-old Ferns Lock could be the horse to go one better than Winged Leader’s second in the St. James’s Place Hunters’ Chase judged on his 20-length beating of Billaway at Thurles.

But Christie is in no rush to over face Ferns Lock at this stage of his career and will look to his Down Royal scorer to lead the Cheltenham charge, with Vaucelet the bookmakers  for the amateur riders’ contest.

“All along he has been the number one horse to be going (to Cheltenham) with,” said Christie.

Punchestown Festival – Day Four
Vaucelet (right) finishing second to Billaway in the Irish Daily Star Champion Hunters Chase at the Punchestown Festival in 2022 (Brian Lawless/PA)

“He’s a lot stronger this year – he was a bit on the weak side last year. You don’t generally get deep ground at Cheltenham and he’s a horse that likes spring ground.

“The extra few furlongs up the hill at Cheltenham takes a lot of getting and he’s a horse who really comes into his element once he passes three miles. He has a lovely relaxed way of racing and allows himself to stay really well.”

He went on: “I sort of promised myself I wouldn’t run him on heavy winter ground, but it turned out not too bad at Down Royal and I was delighted with him.

“Down Royal is a little bit like Thurles and it can turn into a wee bit of a sprint which doesn’t necessarily suit him and bring out the best aspects in him. But Barry (O’Neill) said he couldn’t get him pulled up and he went a long way after the line before he could pull him up.”

He could be joined on the Cheltenham team sheet by last-year’s runner-up Winged Leader, after his successful comeback in a Cragmore point-to-point.

However, there is also the possibility the nine-year-old skips a return to Prestbury Park in favour of the Aintree edition a month later.

“That was a very good effort (at Cragmore) because he had not run since Cheltenham and we had done very little schooling with him,” added Christie.

“He took a knock at Cheltenham and it took quite a long time to get that sorted out and get him in a position where he was fit enough to run in a race.

“I could have run him at Thurles, but the way the race was building up – there was the odd comment about it being a rematch with Billaway and I just thought I would take him out of the spotlight and run him in a point-to-point.

Winged Leader and Barry O’Neill in action at Down Royal
Winged Leader and Barry O’Neill in action at Down Royal (PA)

“He always needs a run and he was very ring rusty, but if you watch the replay Barry never puts a stick on him and I thought he stayed on really well. He will come on a tonne for that.

“He’ll get an entry and then we’ll see whether he goes back to Cheltenham or whether I hold on to him for a hunter chase here and then Aintree.”

Meanwhile one who definitely will not run at Cheltenham is Ferns Lock.

The six-year-old has won his two starts under rules by a combined 32 lengths, but Christie is keen to give him plenty of time to mature and will instead bid for big-race glory closer to home in the Tetratema Cup.

“He is a very exciting horse,” said Christie.

“Thurles would be a sharp three miles and the way he handled himself and jumped was pleasing. He has quite a lot of turn of foot and he’s able to do that two or three times in a race, he’s just a very exciting horse to look forward to that’s for sure.

“He’s a baby of a horse and he’s huge.

“He’ll be entered in the Tetratema, the big hunter chase at Gowran Park which is very prestigious in Ireland. That’s the week before Cheltenham and we’ll just take it from there one race at a time.”

Explaining the reasoning behind skipping the Cheltenham Festival, he added: “He has ability and there is no doubt he could go to Cheltenham.

“But it is a very rough race over there and it could ruin him going there so young and I don’t really see the benefit of that to be honest. There is no doubt he is a Cheltenham type horse, but unless he wins, he could come home and we don’t have a horse at all.

“He’s only six and he’s only run a few times, so we will let him find his feet and where his niche is and then we’ll find out what we do with him – whether we continue hunter chasing or he goes on to do something else.

“I think he’s better than a hunter chaser now never mind in time, but he lacks experience so I won’t be in any panic with him.”