Donn McClean's Irish Angle: Cheltenham Day 1

It is difficult to know what to do with Melon in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle from a betting perspective. On form, he does not deserve to be at the top of the market, but feel the vibe. Melon is all about the vibe.

Melon has been all about the vibe for a while now, since long before he made his debut for Willie Mullins at Leopardstown in January. When your postman tells you that he has heard about a horse before he makes his Irish debut, you know that the vibe has gone mainstream. And when your milkman tells you that he has heard about a horse in Willie Mullins' yard, that he doesn't know what it is called yet but he was told that it is named after a fruit, you know that it isn't Lemoni that he is talking about.

The case against Melon is easy. It's the form case. The Medicean gelding has only run once over hurdles, and no horse has won a Supreme Novices' Hurdle with just one run under his belt since Flown won it in 1992. He beat Broken Soul in that one run, and Broken Soul has been well beaten three times since. And the time that he clocked in that one run was fine, just fine, nothing exceptional.

Here's the case for. Firstly, he was visually impressive in that one run. He jumped superbly for a debutant, with the exception of a slight mistake at the final flight, and he finished off his race strongly. It took Ruby Walsh until they got to the second flight past the stands before he could pull him up.

Secondly, you can easily construct a case for Melon's stable companion Bunk Off Early. The Supreme Horse Racing Club's horse was free and keen through the early stages of the Grade One Deloitte Hurdle over two and a quarter miles on soft ground, yet he looked like the most likely winner when he hit the front on the run to the final flight. He was just out-stayed up the hill by another stable companion in Bacardys, but it was a fine run from him on just his second run over hurdles.

Bunk Off Early is by Zebedee, he won over a mile on the Flat for Andy Oliver, so two and a quarter miles on soft ground should not have been his thing at all. He could be much better in the Supreme, back over two miles, back on better ground, probably behind a faster pace. He could improve dramatically on his Deloitte Hurdle run.

Yet, there has never been any doubt about Melon's position as Willie Mullins' number one for the Supreme. There has never been any doubt about Ruby Walsh riding him.

There is a chance that Melon will be weak in the market on Tuesday as bookmakers try to get him. He is the type of horse that they should want to get into the book, especially the on-course bookmakers who have little or no ante post liabilities. And could be the one to get the Irish off the mark.

Irish-trained horses have won the last four renewals of the Stan James Champion Hurdle, and Petit Mouchoir could be the one to continue that run on Tuesday.

The Gigginstown House horse has not captured everybody’s imagination, possibly because Footpad ran him to a length in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown last time, and because Footpad is a 20/1 shot for the Champion Hurdle.

But Petit Mouchoir was value for more than the bare winning margin that day.  He and Nichols Canyon had gone at each other from early, and the Henry de Bromhead horse had beaten that rival, a multiple-Grade 1 winner, by the time they had reached the final flight. There is a chance that Footpad just picked up the pieces a bit. Also, the winning time was good and there is a chance that Footpad is better than people think.

Peit Mouchoir is only six. He progressed as a novice for Willie Mullins last season, he was only beaten a neck by Buveur D’Air – the pair of them clear of Limini – in the Grade One Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree last April when he was sent off an unconsidered 40/1 shot, and he has continued that progression this season for Henry de Bromhead.  

The two most impressive performances of his career have been his last two, his two Grade 1 wins, when he has been allowed stride on from early. And it would be surprising if similar tactics were not employed on Tuesday. He may not have the turn of foot that some of the top Champion Hurdle winners of the past have possessed, but he is a real galloper and a highly-talented performer who may be a little better than the market estimates.