RACING PUNCHESTOWN REPORT: BARRY GERAGHTY may have to concede size to Big Zeb but there was no doubt who was in charge at Punchestown yesterday as Geraghty propelled his partner back to the forefront of Champion Chase considerations.
For a horse whose jumping was still viewed suspiciously by many going into the Grade Two Tied Cottage Chase, Big Zeb emerged triumphant in more ways than the one that saw him beat Golden Silver by seven lengths.
There wasn’t even a semblance of a flaw to be seen in his jumping and that had plenty to do with Geraghty, who conspicuously made Big Zeb’s mind up going into almost all the obstacles.
That is an approach that often comes crashing down on its nose but yesterday’s principal Cheltenham trial confirmed yet again that when Big Zeb is good, he is very good, and almost certainly good enough to shake up the Paul Nicholls duo, Master Minded and Twist Magic, who are the only ones now heading him in ante-post betting for the festival.
“A strong schooling session!” was a typically succinct Geraghty summation of what happened but Big Zeb’s trainer Colm Murphy had the verbosity of a relieved man afterwards. “There’s been a few cock-ups along the way but it will be nice going to Cheltenham on the back of that,” said Murphy who blamed himself for running Big Zeb at Sandown, too soon after his seasonal debut, and also pointed to a ringbone problem that has now cleared up.
“He has done a lot of schooling and we didn’t miss a beat with the frost, all of which has paid off with a day like today,” he added before issuing an upbeat report on his top mare Voler La Vedette.
“She will ride out for the first time since her problem tomorrow. We have lots of time to get her ready and it will probably be the mares race (David Nicholson Hurdle),” Murphy said. “She has a realistic chance of winning that and a realistic chance of running well in the Champion Hurdle.”
There weren’t too many Cheltenham clues floating around after the day’s other Grade Two, the Moscow Flyer Hurdle, with the winner, Luska Lad, unlikely to go to the festival.
That is due to a quirk that means “Shark” Hanlon’s former top-bumper horse is far happier racing right-handed, a big asset against yesterday’s odds-on favourite Saludos, whose jockey Robbie Power admitted: “He is much better going the other way.”
Luska Lad was certainly repaying jockey Andrew McNamara who he put on the injury sidelines for eight days when falling at Naas on his last start. But going the right way round he proved a very different customer yesterday.
“Andrew says he is two stone better going right-handed. I don’t know why. I’ve had him checked top to bottom and found nothing.
Horses are just like that,” Hanlon said. “If he is a lot better going that way then I think we’ll leave him at home. There are plenty of big pots in Ireland.”
Jessica Harrington was out of luck with Saludos but described Badgerlaw’s half-length defeat of College Daisy in the three-mile hurdle as “a nice surprise”. She added: “When the ground gets better he will be back over fences.”
Inoma James’ 16 to 1 SP may indicate his Grand National trial victory was a surprise but not to his Straffan trainer Derek Barry, despite the horse being 9lb out of the handicap proper. “He has been crying out for a trip and there aren’t many races over three miles plus,” he said. “The further the better with him so we will look at the Midlands National.”
Ruby Walsh was in double form, landing the two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase on Seabass who was making up for throwing away an apparent winning opportunity last week with a last fence fall, and also scoring on Blackstairmountain in the maiden hurdle.
The cross-country chase was unusual in not having an Enda Bolger runner involved at the finish and it was left to the 20 to 1 outsider Another Jewel to run out a decisive winner from the former Grand National hero Silver Birch.
Just four lined up for the bumper but it resulted in a thrilling finish with Tom Taaffe’s Silent Picture just nodding Garlough on the line.
