FAIRYHOUSE REPORT:THE CHAMPION Hurdle may not be on Philip Fenton's agenda for Dunguib this season but the brilliant novice made such a positive impression at Fairyhouse yesterday that others seem determined to change the trainer's mind.
The best bumper champion seen for years maintained his unbeaten record over jumps with a display of such quality in yesterday’s Bar One Royal Bond Hurdle that Paddy Power have installed him a 4 to 1 favourite “with a run” for the Champion Hurdle.
Even with the championship ante-post market in a heap following a series of inconclusive trials, it’s a dramatic move that nevertheless could attract more than a little custom considering how good Dunguib looked yesterday.
Seven lengths was his winning margin over Some Present but even that barely indicated Dunguib’s superiority. Brian O’Connell, riding his first winner as a professional, was motionless almost throughout and two fine jumps in the straight sealed the deal.
“You couldn’t ask for any better. That was excellent. We might sidestep Christmas because he’s not the most robust horse but the Leopardstown race in February (Deloitte Hurdle) and then Cheltenham would be the idea,” Fenton said.
As for the Champion Hurdle, Fenton could hardly have been clearer in his view that the Supreme, for which Dunguib is now as low as 6 to 4 favourite, should be the horse’s festival target. “There’s an old saying that novices should stay with novices and there’s always next year for the Champion,” he said. “I would say it is very doubtful he would run in it this season.”
Quite how much that resolution will be tested over the coming months is debatable but Some Present’s trainer Tom Mullins caught the popular mood yesterday when he said: “I was pleased with how my fella ran but he was beaten by an exceptional horse.”
Mullins was on the Grade One mark himself an hour later as Oscar Dan Dan got the best of a close scrap with Ninetieth Minute and the 33 to 1 outsider Healys Bar to win the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.
“I don’t think Big Bucks will be shivering in his boots but it is great to have that under his belt,” Mullins said after Davy Russell powered Oscar Dan Dan to a neck victory. “He would have to improve seven or eight pounds to win another race like this but he might do that. The Long Walk at Ascot is a possibility.”
Fresh from their Grade One success with Go Native at Newcastle on Saturday, Noel Meade and Davy Condon added another top-flight prize to their tally with the well-backed favourite Pandorama proving too good for Alpha Ridge in the Drinmore Chase.
Pandorama’s jumping improved markedly from his debut and Meade said: “The fences at Punchestown are as wide as the parade ring and after he went left at the first he got into a habit the whole way round.
“I think he can improve from today and three miles should be no problem. He will go to Leopardstown at Christmas (Knight Frank Chase) and then maybe the Moriarty before the RSA at Cheltenham.”
Pandorama is now a general 14 to 1 shot for the RSA with Alpha Ridge rated at 25 to 1.
Leopardstown’s Christmas festival is also the target for Lochan Lacha who cemented his position at the head of the Paddy Power Chase betting with a thrilling success under Ruby Walsh in the three-mile handicap hurdle.
Walsh lost his whip between the last two flights but still drove Tony Martin’s stayer between horses to lead a stride from the line.
“He’s a big old-fashioned slow horse and they went no pace there. They quickened half a mile out and he couldn’t react,” Martin said. “We said at the start of the year we would put him right for the Powers and I hope it is similar ground there.”
Cara Mara ran out a 20 to 1 winner of the mares chase while Al Ferof was a wide-margin winner of the bumper for trainer Liz Doyle with the 2 to 5 favourite Arvika Ligeonniere only fourth.
Yesterday’s free admission at Fairyhouse helped generate a crowd of 3,700. That was almost 500 down on the corresponding meeting in 2008 which was run on a Sunday.
Zaarito can rain on Captain Cee Bee's comeback
THE FACT that Naas needs to pass a 7.30am inspection this morning for racing to go ahead indicates that Captain Cee Bee won’t have ground conditions in his favour but the 2008 Cheltenham hero is still due to make his long-awaited reappearance in the Beginners Chase, writes Brian O’Connor.
Eddie Harty’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner hasn’t been seen in public for 18 months, but Harty is keen to get his career back on track and Captain Cee Bee is scheduled to appear even on these very testing conditions.
Captain Cee Bee doesn’t face an easy task, however, with some smart novices up against him including Zaarito who was running well on his own chasing debut at Thurles only to come down at the second last behind Whatuthink.
Ebadiyan’s seasonal debut at Down Royal looked slightly disappointing at the time but on the back of Go Native’s subsequent exploits in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last Saturday, Oliver Brady’s horse could have enough improvement in him to cope with Arabella Boy in the Listed Hurdle.
Gates Of Rome came up three quarters of a length shy of Qualviro at Punchestown last month but Colm Murphy’s point to point winner should be hard to beat in the opening maiden hurdle while Slievecorragh can defy an 8lb penalty in the handicap hurdle.
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