RACING:LAST INSTALMENT has been ruled out of the RSA Chase at Cheltenham after suffering a slight injury when winning the Dr PJ Moriarty Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday. The Philip Fenton-trained seven-year-old, owned by Gigginstown, had been a leading fancy for honours at the festival after taking his unbeaten run over fences to four.
That was his second Grade One success after he took the Fort Leney Novice Chase at Leopardstown in December. “He’s not going to run again this season,” said Fenton.
“He was a little sore after Leopardstown, so I thought we’d play safe.”
Meanwhile, at Fairyhouse yesterday Galileo’s Choice duly landed the odds with the minimum of fuss in the Easter Festival 8th-10th April Novice Hurdle.
The Dermot Weld-trained six-year-old was prominent in the betting for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival before making his seasonal reappearance. And he did his prospects no harm with a convincing display.
Grand National hopeful Becauseicouldntsee set out to make all of the running over this two miles and led until just before the final flight, when Robbie McNamara brought the 2 to 9 favourite with a menacing run.
Galileo’s Choice jumped to the front and won by four and a half lengths without getting out of second gear. Becauseicouldntsee stuck on well for second ahead of Terminal from the Willie Mullins yard, whose four-race winning run ended in disappointing fashion.
Stan James were impressed with the winner and trimmed him to 10 to 1 from 12s for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Weld said: “It was a pleasing performance. Robbie said he wouldn’t be in love with the ground and apart from a slight mistake three out, I was pleased with the performance. It didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know about him but it was more experience for him and, provided everything goes well, he’ll take his chance in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.”
Meanwhile, Big Buck’s is the main attraction among the 23 remaining entries in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the festival. Andy Stewart’s pride and joy has already won the championship event three times and will become the first horse to win it on four occasions if he is successful.
Nicky Henderson has taken Oscar Whisky out of the Champion Hurdle leaving the World Hurdle as his only target. And Willie Mullins is not afraid of taking Big Buck’s on and has several options.
Mikael D’Haguenet, Zaidpour, So Young, Final Approach, Quevega and Thousand Stars could all represent the Co Carlow maestro.
Voler La Vedette and Carlito Brigante are other Irish entries.
Past winners Sizing Europe and Big Zeb figure among a 14-strong field left in the sportingbet.comQueen Mother Champion Chase.
OLBG.comis backing the Grade Two OLBG Mares Hurdle (for the David Nicholson Trophy), over two and a half miles, which was added to the Cheltenham Festival schedule in 2008.
The initial running was won by Whiteoak, giving trainer Donald McCain his first festival victory, but since then the race has become the property of the brilliant mare Quevega, trained by Willie Mullins, who was successful in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and is a short-priced favourite to land a remarkable fourth consecutive victory in 2012.
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