PUNCHESTOWN REPORT:THOSE WHO believe Mikael d'Haguenet to be the best of a vintage team of novices in Willie Mullins's yard might yet have to get used to the idea of the unbeaten star not even travelling to Cheltenham.
Mikael d’Haguenet made it four from four since coming to Ireland with another impressive victory in yesterday’s Abbey Electrical Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown which saw some bookmakers cut him to as low as 9 to 2 favourite for the Ballymore Hurdle at Cheltenham.
However, despite winning right-handed for the first time since arriving from France, and by making most of the running into the bargain, Mullins’s festival eye was drawn to a different element of the performance.
“I thought he had a very high knee action. It was more evident there than any other day so I would have ground concerns if it came up lively at Cheltenham,” he said.
It’s not as if the champion trainer doesn’t have alternatives for Mikael d’Haguenet who could come back to Punchestown in April and who definitely has the option of a return to his old stomping ground in Auteuil for the French Champion Hurdle in June.
“We decided to change tactics in case there wasn’t enough pace and he jumped well in front,” Mullins added.
While Ruby Walsh’s post-race comment was a succinct but happy: “He’ll do!”
Cheltenham is definitely not on Mansony’s agenda despite the former dual-Grade One winner taking advantage of Big Zeb’s exit at the second last to land the Amazing Thailand Chase.
Big Zeb though is unchanged at 11 to 1 for the Queen Mother at Cheltenham despite his fall and trainer Colm Murphy reported:
“I’d like to get a run into him before the festival, maybe in the Red Mills over two and a half at Gowran.”
Arthur Moore will target Mansony at the Newlands in Naas before building up to the Grade One here at the festival which the horse won in 2007.
“He is a great servant and Davy (Russell) was very positive on him. The spirit is there and the class is there.
“He came out of his last race very well.
“In fact he was 20 kilos heavier today and we thought he was too heavy!” he grinned.
Russell and Moore had earlier also scored in the maiden hurdle with the evens favourite Sorceror who made all to beat the newcomer Acapulco.
“He was a bit green and I think he will be a really nice chaser,” Moore said afterwards.
The point-to-point champion rider John Thomas McNamara had a memorable day with his wife, Caroline, giving birth to a baby boy at 7.30am and eight hours later L’Ami justified 1 to 2 odds in the cross-country race.
“He was Okay.
“He actually jumped better at Cheltenham the last day and he’ll go back there now, along with Garde Champetre and Drombeag,” reported the “banks king” Enda Bolger.
The four-mile National Hunt Chase is a festival target for Forest Leaves who broke his duck over fences in the Grand National Trial. But the festival is unlikely to see Universal Truth who justified short odds by a short head in the bumper for Dermot Weld.
Current cold snap adds to McCoy's frustration
TONY McCOY believes the current cold snap could prolong his bid to break through the magical 3,000-winner mark over jumps after drawing a blank from his two rides at Fontwell yesterday.
The best McCoy could manage was third on 4 to 6 favourite Burton Port, while Henrietta Knight's Blue Teal weakened out of contention, having winged the fourth-last full of running.
Those two reverses left the 13-times champion jockey marooned on 2,998 winners over jumps.
And with Britain suffering from snow and freezing temperatures, his three rides at Southwell today are subject to the course passing a 7.30am inspection.
McCoy said: "I don't like the sound of the weather much – that is the worry. For the sake of everyone I wouldn't want this to drag out. I want to ride winners but when you are not having a lot of chances it makes it harder."
The weather is again threatening to wreak havoc on the fixture list over the coming days, with the prospect of no racing today looking a real possibility.
Snow and frost is beginning to take hold and today's card at Lingfield has already been abandoned following a 4pm inspection yesterday.
Even the all-weather is not safe from the snow as Wolverhampton's clerk of the course Fergus Cameron will also take a look at 7.30am today.
"We have had a little bit (of snow) already," said clerk of the course Fergus Cameron.
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