RACING:WILLIE MULLINS'S hugely-powerful Cheltenham team won't include leading bumper performer Samain when the festival kicks off in a fortnight, but the build-up to National Hunt racing's greatest week will continue after racing at Leopardstown tomorrow.
The traditional workout session has been used as a springboard to Cheltenham for some of Irish racing’s top names in the last decade and over 50 horses are expected to gallop at the track this time.
Mullins has yet to finalise plans, but indications are that star names like Champion Hurdle contender Hurricane Fly will stay at home in Bagnelstown.
“It is falling a little earlier than usual this time so I may just bring a few chasers to have a pop around. I’ll think about it more in the morning, but that’s the way I’m thinking right now,” the champion trainer said yesterday.
Mullins has won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper a record six times, but he will not be represented this year by either Samain, an 8 to 1 second-favourite with Ladbrokes yesterday, or another Michael O’Leary-owned runner, Lovethehigherlaw.
“Samain is not going to go. The owner is not keen to travel and that’s fine. We can stay at home and try and win a third bumper with him,” the trainer said.
Preparations will continue at Leopardstown for the workouts, which normally attract plenty of attention from the betting public after racing finishes.
“It got a bit chaotic about three or four years ago so we’ve had to put more controls in place in terms of corralling people. I think they’ve helped things work a lot better,” Leopardstown manager Tom Burke said yesterday.
In the circumstances, the actual racing often tends to get overlooked, but the Ballsbridge Hurdle contains the 2007 Champion Hurdler Sublimity, while the opportunity to earn a late ticket to Cheltenham still remains.
A horse such as Paul Nolan’s Westmeath may wind up in the Albert Bartlett if successful in tomorrow’s opening maiden hurdle, but this is a hot enough race with Dantes King and Jetson looking like winners in waiting.
But Dermot Weld also has Endless Intrigue in this and a repeat of his second to Shot From The Hip at Christmas could be enough.
Weld also can supply the bumper winner in the shape of Waaheb who won on his debut in impressive style over the course and distance last month, while the presence of David Casey on Questions Answered back in the handicap chase could be important.
Osirixamix won his first chase in some style at Limerick and is hard to oppose in the novice chase.
