Tag Archive for: Thyestes Chase

Ain’t That A Shame battles to Thyestes triumph

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Ain’t That A Shame secured the big prize he has long promised in an attritional renewal of the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase at Gowran Park.

Having been placed in the Munster National at Limerick and the lucrative Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown last season, Henry de Bromhead’s charge was a leading fancy for the Grand National at Aintree last spring but trailed home last of 17 finishers.

That effort looked to have taken its toll on the Robcour-owned 10-year-old, as he was well held in the Kerry National on his first start of the current campaign and then pulled up in the Troytown at Navan, but he bounced back to his best to plunder one of the Irish calendar’s feature handicaps in Kilkenny.

A 14-1 shot in the hands of Rachael Blackmore, Ain’t That A Shame initially raced in midfield before taking closer order with a circuit to run.

He moved to the lead travelling strongly in the home straight and although he was briefly headed by Glengouly on the run-in, Ain’t That A Shame fought back to plunder the lion’s share of the €100,000 prize fund by two and a half lengths.

“Our other horses were shorter in the betting today but Rachael stuck with Ain’t That A Shame, which I thought was a brave move,” said De Bromhead. “She really believed in him and I’d say Davey Roche (assistant trainer) had a lot to do with that as well.

Ain't That A Shame and jockey Rachael Blackmore after winning at Gowran Park
Ain’t That A Shame and jockey Rachael Blackmore after winning at Gowran Park (Brian Lawless/PA)

“I was saying last week ‘will we be calling you Wrong Choice Rach?’ – but she didn’t find that very funny! Anyway, she was absolutely spot-on and fair play to her.

“He had a good run on nicer ground at Leopardstown last year, although he did seem to stop at Aintree. Even today, we were coming here a bit grey and weren’t sure, even though he seemed great at home.

“He also seemed great at home before pulling up in the Troytown Chase and the stewards have just asked me for the reason for his improvement in form, but we genuinely didn’t know (what happened at Navan) and were very disappointed. I suppose they are allowed to have a bad day though.”

He added: “It was great to have dad (Harry) here the first day we won this race (in 2017), as it was the 25th year since he won the race, and it is great to have mum here now. It is brilliant to get it for Robcour and it was some ride from Rachael.

“We all come out of hibernation at this time of year and it really is a race that stops a county and is great for the south east.”



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Angels Dawn aiming to realise Thyestes plan

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Kim Muir winner Angels Dawn is aiming to give her connections another famous victory before she is covered in the spring when she lines up in the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase on Thursday.

Trained by Sam Curling, the nine-year-old mare beat Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown, a winner at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, by a neck at the Festival last March.

She went on to finish sixth in the Irish National after that and has had just two runs over hurdles this season in order to protect her handicap mark for this valuable pot.

“This has been the plan for a good while,” said Curling.

“She’s had a couple of spins over hurdles and she’s come on for those, the ground should suit hopefully and she has a nice weight, so she has plenty in her favour.

“The testing ground helps, I don’t think she has to have it but she seems to handle it better than most. It will be very soft there.

“I think the Irish National was just a step too far for her, she’d had a long enough year, she probably just ran a bit flat but she still ran with plenty of credit. It was just a step too far in the end.”

Whatever happens at Gowran, this looks sure to be her last season racing, with a stallion date booked in.

“This is the aim this year and we’ll see how she gets on and then make a plan after that,” said Curling.

“She’ll be covered this spring either way, whatever happens. We’ll just see what happens after that, we won’t over race her anyway.

“She’s been a star for us and owes no one anything.”

Barry Connell’s Espanito Bello has a curious record that has seen him win five times in 19 races, all at Naas.

The owner-trainer admits he has no real idea what sort of performance to expect but hopes the fitting of a first-time visor will have the desired effect.

Espanito Bello is a bit
Espanito Bello is a bit “quirky” according to Barry Connell (Niall Carson/PA)

“If we could put a sign up that said ‘Naas’ I think that might help, all his wins have come there!” said Connell.

“He’s a bit quirky. We ran him in Navan the last day and he didn’t perform, I don’t know why, there’s no particular reason.

“All I can say is he’s well. We’ve put a visor on him so we’re hoping that might have the desired effect.

“He did run well in the race last year (fifth) off a long break. He has the ability, he’s well capable of winning a race like the Thyestes off the mark he’s on but he does come with a health warning. I’m going there hopeful, but I couldn’t be convinced how he’d run.

“At the end of the day, he’s won nearly every year we’ve raced him, he’s won over €100,000, so if every horse you had was capable of doing that it would be great.

“If the visor works he’s well capable. I will go through the programme at Naas after this and see what there is there for him.”

Longhouse Poet (red hat) has run in the last two Grand Nationals at Aintree
Longhouse Poet (red hat) has run in the last two Grand Nationals at Aintree (PA Wire)

Martin Brassil runs Longhouse Poet, just 1lb below the top-weight Bronn. He has been well fancied for the Grand National at Aintree the last twice.

“I thought it wasn’t a standout Thyestes,” said Brassil.

“There’s a couple of horses well-in and he has loads of weight, so if he runs well and gets a bit of prize-money we’d be happy.

“He’s been an unlucky horse at Aintree. He did too much in his first outing there, he went too fast (when sixth), then he only got to the Canal Turn last year when it got a bit tight and J J (Slevin) was unseated.

“It’s a race that is made for him (Aintree), but there’s lots of horses like him with the same profile and you just need so much luck in that race.”

Gordon Elliot runs six but the red-hot Jack Kennedy has sided with Dunboyne, beaten a short head in the race 12 months ago.

“The weights went up which was good so I get to ride Dunboyne. He was just touched off in the race last year so he likes it around there,” said Kennedy.

“I won on him around there earlier in the year last year as well, so hopefully he’ll run well.”

Willie Mullins’ Monkfish is due to make his anticipated return to action in the Grade Two John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle.

He was declared to run at Tramore on New Year’s Day but was a non-runner due to a temperature.



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Carefully Selected edges out Dunboyne in Thyestes thriller

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Carefully Selected gave further evidence of the remarkable training talents of Willie Mullins with a pulsating victory in the Goffs Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.

While successful in six of his first 10 starts under Rules, the Well Chosen gelding unseated the trainer’s son Patrick as an odds-on favourite for the 2020 National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and was subsequently sidelined for the best part of three years.

But having shaped with some promise on his long-awaited return in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown last month, the 11-year-old was the 9-2 favourite to provide Mullins with a ninth victory in the €100,000 feature at his local track.

Ridden by Paul Townend, previously successful in the Thyestes aboard On His Own in 2014, Carefully Selected charted a wide course for much of the three-mile-one-furlong journey.

After losing his position with a circuit to race, he made ground onto the heels of the leaders before the home turn and landed in front at the second fence from home.

Dunboyne, one of nine runners for Mullins’ great rival Gordon Elliott, emerged as a major threat on the run-in and the pair flashed by the line almost as one – but the judge confirmed Carefully Selected the winner by a short head.

Mullins said: “It is always a great thrill to win the Thyestes, but I think that was Paul Townend’s victory. The ride he gave him – he had two horses behind him with a circuit to race and kept wide out of trouble – puts huge pressure on a jockey but he loves pressure and rides better with pressure.

“He has been off sick the past two days, but to come back and give a ride like that is a tremendous achievement and he rushed off to get a drink just now. It was as fine a ride as I ever saw around here to win a Thyestes with that sort of weight.

“I thought after the third-last that his winning chance had gone but he sat and sat, gave him a breather, got a good jump at the last and I thought it was fantastic riding. He was obviously very sick the last two days so to come back and ride a race like that was huge in my mind.”

Willie Mullins was fulsome in his praise of Paul Townend following Carefully Selected's victory
Willie Mullins was fulsome in his praise of Paul Townend following Carefully Selected’s victory (Brian Lawless/PA)

Of Carefully Selected, he added: “He gave a huge performance as well.

“He had been off for 33 months before his last run and sometimes a horse can bounce. He was coming back quick enough after his last run, as sometimes a horse can need longer to recover in these longer distance races.

“But Paul had ridden him work the other day and knew what he had under the bonnet. He has come back from a long lay-off and you could look at any of those staying chases now, an Irish National or an English National, but today we will celebrate the Thyestes.”



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Connell backing Bello for bold Thyestes showing

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Owner-trainer Barry Connell believes “all the boxes are ticked” for Espanito Bello ahead of his bid for glory in the Goffs Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.

The nine-year-old has mixed it between fences and hurdles over the past couple of years, but it is over the larger obstacles where he has shown his best form – notably finishing second to Coko Beach in a Grade Two novice chase in 2021 before finishing down the field in the Irish Grand National.

Last time out he was fifth in a two-mile-six-furlong hurdle race, meaning Thursday’s contest represents a return to fences as well as a step back up in trip to three miles and a furlong.

Espanito Bello is likely to be suited by the soft going at Gowran and with confidence seemingly high, he has attracted significant support ahead of Thursday’s €100,000 feature.

“He’s in good form. He had a very good novice season and was second in a Grade Two, but he’s been lightly raced since so he’s come down the handicap ratings,” said Connell.

“He’s in good form and we expect a big run from him on Thursday.

“Soft ground is what he wants, he needs heavy ground, even. He has a nice weight and I think all of the boxes are ticked there, so we’re looking forward to a big run.”

Owner-trainer-breeder Robert Murphy has a leading contender in Darrens Hope – a nine-year-old last seen landing the Grade Two Florida Pearl Novice Chase by a head from Minella Crooner.

With that victory registered in November, Murphy’s mare has enjoyed a freshening-up period ahead of her Thyestes bid off a weight of 10st 6lb, with Danny Mullins retaining the ride.

Darrens Hope after winning the Florida Pearl
Darrens Hope after winning the Florida Pearl (Brian Lawless/PA)

“She’s good, we jumped her on Tuesday and she jumped grand. She’s in good form, I can say that,” said Murphy.

“She’s had a good gap, we don’t run her too often because she’s getting on a small bit. We wouldn’t want to run her too often and she needed her break, but she’s grand now.

“She’s back up to three miles and the soft ground should suit her as well.

“We’ve a good jockey on board, we’d like to see her get her nose in front and we’re hopeful.”

Gordon Elliott’s nine-strong team includes two of the market principals in Pencilfulloflead and Escaria Ten – the latter a good quality stayer owned by the McNeill Family.

Escaria Ten during the Grand National
Escaria Ten during the Grand National (Mike Egerton/PA)

The nine-year-old finished eighth in last year’s Thyestes Chase on what was his seasonal reappearance before missing out in the Bobbyjo Chase by just a nose, after which he came home ninth in the Grand National at Aintree.

He got the current campaign under way in a Listed Thurles Chase on December 1 and was far from disgraced in finishing a two-length second to Joseph O’Brien’s Darasso.

The Welsh Grand National was vetoed in favour of another Thyestes tilt, despite the fact Escaria Ten will carry top weight of 11st 12lb in the hands of Adrian Heskin.

“He hopefully has a nice chance, he’s had his prep race this year,” said Iain Turner, racing manager to the owners.

“He ran well at Thurles and everything has gone fine, it’s just going to be very difficult carrying top weight. It’s not often you wish Willie (Mullins) had one in the race, but I really wish he had Franco De Port in there as it would have kept the weights down 6lb!

“He goes there with a good chance. It will be difficult carrying that weight but there’s not much we can do about it.

“With him the softer the ground, the better. Last year we went for his first run of the season and he needed it, he’s had his run this time and then it was a choice between the Welsh National and the Thyestes. We’ve made the decision and fingers crossed it all goes well.

“Max (McNeill, owner) is in the final few days of his winter holiday and is flying straight to Ireland from sunnier climes for his first ever trip to Gowran, let’s hope it isn’t an unwarranted extension to his holiday!”

Elliott Is also represented by Braeside, Coko Beach, Defi Bleu, Dunboyne, Fakiera, Frontal Assault and Punitive.

Willie Mullins could saddle up to five runners, with Captain Kangaroo, Carefully Selected, Egality Mans all guaranteed a run in the top 18, while Rambranlt’jac and Stones And Roses are on the reserve list.



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