THE NOVICE Dance Beat made the most of her light weight to win the Ladbroke Hurdle from Family Way and Derrymoyle at Leopardstown on Saturday. I thought Derrymoyle was going to win when Mark Dwyer brought him to challenge Dance Beat and Anthony Powell half way between the last two jumps, but he then came under pressure and, while staying on, the concession of so much weight to a couple of very useful rivals took its toll.
Derrymoyle has been at his best over two and a half miles, but Dwyer advised trainer Michael Cunningham to keep him to two miles for the present, and the Champion Hurdle is an option.
The Fairyhouse form stood up well and, at 12 to 1, Dance Beat was undoubtedly the value bet of the race. Jessica Harrington, the first woman trainer to win a Galway Hurdle and the Ladbroke handicap, has done well with the consistent Dance Beat, who was bought as a yearling by Johnny Harrington for only 1,300 guineas - a small price to pay for a half-sister to Galmoy. While she will have to carry a lot more weight, Dance Beat will take her chance in Cheltenham's Supreme Novice Hurdle.
As far as the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham is concerned, the resurrected McCain Handicap Chase will have encouraged Strong Platinum fans no end. In finishing just a length and a half adrift of Imperial Call on unsuitably heavy ground, he was impressive in defeat.
Champion Chase-bound Klairon Davis unseated his rider after a dreadful blunder at the first fence on the far side and with his exit, some of the race's interest evaporated. But this is not to take from the Fergie Sutherland-trained winner, who made all the running and battled stoutly when tackled by Strong Platinum who was conceding 12lb, after landing a length or so to the good over the last.
A tough young chaser who stays well, Imperial Call will now be trained for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup over the same course and distance early next month. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is his ultimate objective.
For a good ground horse, Strong Platinum ran a great race and once again jumped beautifully. He ran a bit too freely, which made it worse on the going. If he gets his ground at Cheltenham, he will take beating. Meanwhile, he will have a preliminary outing, perhaps early next month, if connections can find a conditions chase on more suitable ground.
Aidan O'Brien's lightweight Royal Mountbrowne made most of the running to win the Pierse Leopardstown Handicap Chase in the hands of Charlie Swab. Gowran Park's Thyestes Chase on Thursday week is the next target for this comprehensive winner, with the Irish Grand National his prime objective. The O'Brien stable's Aintree Grand National bound Life Of A Lord will contest the Hennessy Gold Cup.
Considering he was running for the first time over fences and for the first time since early June, the Dermot Weld-trained Treble Bob did well to win the Fitzpatricks Hotel Group Novice Chase by a convincing six lengths from a mistake-prone Minella Lad. Swan told the stewards that Minella Lad's girth and surcingle slipped back, making it difficult to ride the horse out fully from the last fence
Ridden by Richard Dunwoody, Treble Bob jumped pretty well throughout. He is an extremely tough and gutsy horse and, being a half-brother to Remittance Man, should make his mark over fences. However, as his handler points out, it is a pity he is not a hand or so bigger. Weld will run him in a two miles and five furlongs novice chase at Leopardstown on February 4th, after which he will make up his mind whether to aim for Cheltenham's Sun Alliance Chase or the Stayers' Hurdle.
Akhiyar and Urubande dominated the finish of the Fitzpatricks Castle Hurdle, with the former getting up by a neck in the last stride or two. With this duo. 20 lengths clear of the opposition the form is no doubt good. The Michael O'Brien-trained winner will have another run in a two-mile hurdle before travelling to Cheltenham for the Supreme. Novice Hurdle.
Urubande was not punished by Swan, Aidan O'Brien said his jumpers are not as well as they can be. Having missed Christmas, they are two weeks behind and, with Cheltenham in mind, he will have to try and catch up. Urubande, who likes to do the donkey work, will be trained for the two and a half miles Sun Alliance Hurdle.
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