Tareze puts herself in Cheltenham picture with Navan victory

Tareze may have earned herself a place on Henry de Bromhead’s Cheltenham Festival team sheet with an impressive victory in the Ryan’s Cleaning Apple’s Jade Mares Novice Hurdle at Navan.

A runaway winner at Clonmel in October, the six-year-old was last seen finishing second to the Willie Mullins-trained Hey Sunshine in a Listed event at Punchestown.

Tareze was a 15-8 shot for another Listed assignment in County Meath and after travelling strongly in the hands of Darragh O’Keeffe, she powered clear on the run-in to score by eight lengths from Blue Mosque, with 7-4 favourite Just For Love back in third.

“She’s improving all the time,” said de Bromhead’s representative Robbie Power.

“She’s a fine, big mare and I thought that was a very good performance. She travelled very sweetly behind the pace and, when Darragh gave her a squeeze, she picked up well.

“She jumped super – she is a very, very good jumper.

“She could go to Cheltenham or Fairyhouse, but I think Sally (Rowley-Williams, owner) would be quite keen to go to Cheltenham (Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle). She’s probably entitled to go after that.”

Honesty Policy opened his account for Gordon Elliott in the Navan Ford & Opel Maiden Hurdle.

Second in a point-to-point and on his hurdling debut at Naas last month, the five-year-old was a 6-4 favourite to go one better and picked up well to score by eight lengths under Sam Ewing.

“He’s a nice horse. The further he goes, I’d say the better he will be,” said Elliott.

“He had a good run the last day in Naas and he followed up there today.

“We have no real plan, but I’d imagine he is going in the right direction. He will be a nice chaser down the road.”

The Willie Mullins-trained Copacabana entered the Champion Bumper reckoning after making a successful start to his career in the William Hill Keep Your Raceday Positive (Pro/Am) INH Flat Race.

A 9-4 favourite in the hands of Patrick Mullins, the son of Blue Bresil moved through the race strongly and was powerful at the finish as he passed the post with five lengths in hand.

Bet365 make Copacabana a 10-1 shot in their non-runner no bet market for the Champion Bumper, a race his trainer has won on a record 13 occasions.

Willie Mullins said: “I think we’ll have to buy the ticket now! He’s a lovely, big, chasing type and I was looking forward to bringing him up here on this track. I thought he would show himself off well and he did.

“There was so much talk about so many horses before the race. It looked a very deep race and I’m very pleased for his owners. It looks like we will have to book a ticket for them for March.

“He is a big unit and it has taken me plenty of time to get him right. Every time we asked him a question, he gave the right answers. We were getting very tight to qualifying for Cheltenham. He just answered that question nicely.

“He loved that type of ground. With his size and everything, I wouldn’t like to campaign him on good ground for a while yet. He looks a horse that would need a nice dig in it.”

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