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Five horses to watch out for at Navan and Cork
Nic Doggett looks ahead to this weekend’s Irish action at Navan and Cork and picks out five horses at the five-day-entry stage to keep an eye out for.
Expensive recruit for Honeysuckle team
Echoing Silence failed to meet her 8,500 guineas reserve at the 2020 Goffs December sale, changed hands for €28,000 at the 2023 Tattersalls Ireland July sales, but it was the hammer going down at £410,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Festival sale that raised a few eyebrows, and, having since joined Henry De Bromhead, she could make her debut at Navan on Saturday (12.00).
A winner between the flags at Ballycahane 11 days before that sale, the Kenny Alexander-owned filly will carry the silks most closely associated with Honeysuckle and is already a general 16/1 chance for the Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle – a race her owner/trainer combined to win with Telmesomethinggirl in 2021.
On the face of it, two miles on good-to-yielding ground may not prove enough of a test for a Doyen filly whose point-to-point win came over three miles on heavy going and whose half-brother Deafening Silence was a real mudlark, but De Bromhead is a proven master with this sort of filly.
Champion Bumper winner back in action
Keeping with the theme of hurdling newcomers, Cheltenham Champion Bumper winner Jasmin De Vaux has an entry in the following Headfort Arms Hotel Maiden Hurdle (12.32), a race won 12 months ago by Caldwell Potter.
A winning pointer, Jasmin de Vaux showed smart form to follow up his Naas win at Cheltenham by a length and three-quarters from Romeo Coolio, and possibly found the race coming too soon when only eighth of 12 behind his well-backed stablemate Redemption Day in the Punchestown Champion Bumper in May, though it’s worth noting that the racecourse vet reported that the gelding had spread his right-hind shoe but was otherwise post-race normal.
He’s a ‘rather unfurnished gelding’ according to Timeform, while his winning rider at Cheltenham described him as ‘very small, very narrow, very short, he doesn't do anything flashy’. Regardless, he’s a very exciting horse for the season ahead and is already as short as 8/1 favourite for the Turners Novices’ Hurdle in March even before jumping a hurdle in public.
More success for Elliott?
Gordon Elliott has his stable in rude health and will have his eyes on winning the concluding bumper on Saturday once more, having landed the Skryne GAA Day Out At Navan Racecourse INH Flat Race (3.27) in five of the last six seasons, including 12 months ago with My Trump Card (who has entries in both the listed handicap hurdle – sponsored by his owner Bective Stud - and beginners’ chase earlier on this card).
Elliott has six of the 14 entries, with all making some degree of appeal on pedigree, and four having won point-to-points already.
Like Echoing Silence, Magic Boum was sold at the Cheltenham Festival sale, but it’s her fellow Bective Stud-owned stablemate Bective Thunder who catches the eye. He comes from a successful family and counts Grangeclare West – an impressive bumper winner on his Rules debut – amongst his siblings.
He Can’t Dance is another fascinating entry, but it’s worth noting that this expensive point recruit was withdrawn from Fairyhouse last weekend due to unsuitably lively going.
The Yellow Clay catches the eye
Moving onto Cork on Sunday, there is a competitive bunch of entries for the Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle (1.05), yet another race won last year by Elliott with Search For Glory who has been impressing over fences this term.
One of four entries for Elliott this year, The Yellow Clay finished behind Jasmin de Vaux at Cheltenham last season – but ahead of him at Punchestown – and has taken well to hurdling this term with authoritative wins at Down Royal and Navan, earning a Timeform rating of 140p.
‘I would imagine we will go for the Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle in January’ said Elliott after the horse’s most recent win, which suggests that if he turns up here en-route then he will take plenty of beating despite the possible presence of promising stablemate Patter Merchant who would be an interesting contender back up in trip.
Dual Champion Chase winner back on track
Finally – and hopefully saving the best for last – comes the return of two-time Champion Chase winner Energumene in the Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase (2.15), a race he dominated in both 2022 and 2023.
Willie Mullins also has Blue Lord, Dinoblue, Hunters Yarn and Ferny Hollow amongst the entries, but all eyes will be on the top-class Energumene who hasn’t been seen on the racecourse since landing the William Hill Champion Chase at Punchestown in April 2023.
‘So far this year we’ve had no setbacks and we’re all set to go down to Mallow, or Cork as we call it now,’ explained Mullins recently, providing a positive update about a horse who missed all of the 2023/2024 season due to a hind leg problem. ‘The tendon injury he had wasn’t a serious one, but we took no risk with it whatsoever.’
With Jonbon bidding to enhance his Champion Chase claims at Sandown on Saturday, and Energumene back on track in the Hilly Way, this weekend looks set to be a fascinating one in the two-mile chasing division.
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