Cheltenham Festival update: Spotlight on Mystical Power

What’s the latest development?

Sunday saw the 22nd Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle - backed by Sky Bet since 2014 – run at Punchestown and it was a familiar tale with trainer Willie Mullins taking top honours courtesy of the JP McManus-owned Mystical Power, the son of Galileo and Annie Power.

McManus had won it with Any Second Now (Ted Walsh) in 2017 and Andy Dufresne (Gordon Elliott) in 2020, but it was the first time he’d successfully teamed up with Mullins who was himself claiming a 10th victory in the race.

It has typically been an informative contest ever since Kicking King took the inaugural running in 2003, then the Byrne Group Novice Hurdle, and while only four went to post this season after Fascile Mode was withdrawn (stone bruise), there were some promising individuals on show with Jigoro, Lombron and the winner all pretty impressive in their respective maiden/novice hurdles.

James’s Gate – formerly with Mullins and switched to Martin Brassil – was not without support either following a promising comeback run behind King Of Kingsfield and Mirazur West in a hot race at Leopardstown, but victory ultimately went to what looked the one with most potential beforehand.

The returning Mystical Power, who went off 5/4 favourite having been odds-on at points through the morning ahead of his first start since the Galway Festival in July, raced freely for Mark Walsh and didn’t jump the first couple of flights too well under restraint, but his hurdling definitely improved as the race went on.

Two miles around the inside hurdles track at Punchestown can be a sharp test for any novice held up off what looked a relatively slow tempo, and he was still last of the quartet as they began the turn for home.

On straightening up, Mystical Power was suddenly right alongside leader Jigaro, which was quite a striking manoeuvre, and he quickened nicely on the run to the last which he took in good style before galloping on strongly without Walsh reaching for his stick.

What are the future targets?

The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle looks the obvious next port of call, with a shot at the Dublin Racing Festival’s Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle beforehand all but ruled out by connections in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's feature.

Mullins’ 10 previous Moscow Flyer heroes include Vautour and Douvan, subsequent winners of the Sky Bet Supreme, along with Min who was runner-up in the Supreme and Impaire Et Passe who followed his Punchestown triumph by landing the Ballymore last year.

Mystical Power has only had the two runs over hurdles but for a horse like him, who made his debut in the summer, to show such good form on soft ground in the middle of January must give connections plenty of encouragement with Cheltenham in mind and he’s now expected to head straight to the big meeting’s opening contest.

What do the markets say?

Considering the small field and lack of Graded form in the book going into it, the Sky Bet Supreme quotes look pretty punchy with the sponsors making him their joint-favourite alongside Jeriko Du Reponet at 9/2 as the dust settled at the close of play.

William Hill and 888Sport – both offering the no-runner no-bet concession - have Mystical Power their 7/2 market leader alongside fellow Mullins representative Ballyburn (Jeriko Du Reponet is 4s with those NRNB firms).

Interestingly, McManus may have a key hand or two still to play with last year’s top bumper horse A Dream To Share (12/1 with the sponsors) yet to make his debut over obstacles, and the aforementioned Mirazur West a general 16/1 shot for the Supreme ahead of his next engagement in a Fairyhouse maiden on Thursday.

What’s the current conclusion?

Impaire Et Passe blew me away in the Sky Bet Moscow Flyer last year and I didn’t quite get the same tingles from watching Mystical Power, though I did like how his jumping technique became a lot smoother as the race developed and I love the fact Frank Berry revealed post-race that the horse only seems to really come alive on the track.

A morning glory he is not, but Mystical Power is blatantly in the right hands, was having only his second start over obstacles and hadn’t raced in public since the end of July, so to crab a seven-length victory over a race-fit Jigoro would be harsh, especially as the course looked plenty tight enough for him.

Mullins now having this one to call upon, together with Mirazur West providing all goes to plan in his maiden hurdle this week, will almost certainly result in Ballyburn going for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle – which had looked plan-A anyway following his wide-margin win when upped in trip at Leopardstown – and I’d much rather have him on side for the Wednesday opener at the Festival than take a similar price about Mystical Power for the Supreme.

When it comes to a bet in the Supreme, I’m still happy to hold fire. There’s almost certainly going to be another significant card played at the DRF early next month (Caldwell Potter?); Jeriko Du Reponet is going to be out again, presumably at Haydock or Kempton, before the Festival kicks off too; while the likes of You Oughta Know are still waiting in the wings though time is admittedly running out for him to stake his claim for Cheltenham this season.

Honourable mention: Lisnagar Fortune

Mullins pulled off a phenomenal gamble when winning the 2022 County Hurdle with the novice State Man (multiple Grade 1 winner since) and it’s worth recalling the same stable tried to repeat the dose with Hunters Yarn at Cheltenham last March.

The interesting twist with that one was that – following a rule change which means that novices need to have run four times over hurdles in order to qualify for a Class 1 or Class 2 handicap hurdles in Britain – Hunters Yarn was a second-season novice, having made his debut over timber in November 2021 before running three more times around the turn of the year into 2023.

It didn’t go to plan on the day for that one but he was sent off 11/2 second-favourite off a mark of 147 so it's worth looking out for others with a similar sort of profile this year too.

Lisnagar Fortune's BHA rating, therefore, could be of interest when it becomes available, the six-year-old finally breaking through over hurdles in Sunday’s two-mile maiden (replay below).

An impressive bumper winner at the Punchestown Festival in April 2022, he ran over hurdles a couple of times early on last year but let down favourite-backers on both occasions, including when tried over three miles at Cork, but he looked on the right path again when beaten a short-head dropped back to the minimum trip in November.

The winner that day was strong-staying stable companion Readin Tommy Wrong, who franked the form in no uncertain terms in Friday’s rescheduled Lawlor’s Of Naas, and Lisnagar Fortune had no trouble justifying short odds this weekend.

Forced to make his own running, he looks the type to be suited by a bigger field and a strong gallop if kept to this trip and it’s not hard to see his jumping becoming a bit slicker in that sort of scenario.

The early County Hurdle shortlist probably isn’t living up to its name just yet, but this horse has Cheltenham in his veins being a half-brother to Stayers' Hurdle winner Lisnagar Oscar and out of a sister to Coral Cup winner Whisper, so make sure he - 16/1 at Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair - is at least on the periphery.

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