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Fresh for Aintree | Bob Olinger, Caldwell Potter and Hiddenvalley Lake
Tony McFadden highlights three horses who intentionally missed Cheltenham and will be heading to Aintree with freshness on their side.
Bob Olinger (Aintree Hurdle)
Bob Olinger spent a bit of time in the wilderness after looking like such a brilliant prospect during his novice hurdle campaign and in the early part of his novice chase season. However, he has enjoyed a career revival this term and looked back to his very best when slamming his rivals in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day before chasing home State Man in the Irish Champion.
Bob Olinger started his season with a one-length win over Zanahiyr in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan in November and, while that wasn't a standout performance on the figures, the most significant aspect given his past issues was his pleasing response to pressure on a stiff track on testing ground. He built on that promising return to slam his three rivals in the Relkeel, quickening right away on the run-in to earn his best Timeform rating yet over hurdles, and he ran to a similarly very smart level when runner-up to State Man at Leopardstown.
He was no match for the subsequent Champion Hurdle winner, who has now won 11 of his 12 completed starts for Willie Mullins, but Bob Olinger again impressed with how fluently he travelled, moving through he race with much more verve than Impaire et Passe who seemed to resent a change of tactics and was labouring from a fair way out, ultimately finishing five lengths behind the runner-up in third.
Impaire et Passe actually has the slight edge over Bob Olinger on Timeform ratings (162 v 159) as he made State Man work a bit harder when runner-up to that rival at Christmas, and he too comes here a fresh horse having been kept back for this since the Irish Champion Hurdle. However, we're in the unusual position of Bob Olinger looking like the rock-solid contender this time. (Henry de Bromhead)
Caldwell Potter (Mersey Novices' Hurdle)
Caldwell Potter hasn't run since winning at Leopardstown's Christmas meeting, which means he's missed two big opportunities to enhance his standing at the Dublin Racing Festival and Cheltenham Festival, but only three novice hurdlers this season - Ballyburn (162p), Slade Steel (150p) and Mystical Power (148p) - have achieved a higher Timeform rating than his figure of 147p.
Caldwell Potter missed Cheltenham as he was deemed to need more time to acclimatise to his new surroundings by Paul Nicholls following the Grade 1 winner's record €740,000 purchase, but the Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree has been mooted as a potential starting point.
The step up to two and a half miles promises to bring about improvement from Caldwell Potter who saw things out strongly to win an attritional renewal of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle over two miles on his final start for Gordon Elliott. A strong gallop on very testing ground provided too stiff a test for most of the field, but Caldwell Potter produced a smart performance to beat Predators Gold by six and a half lengths with the pair 38 lengths ahead of the remainder.
He's from a superb jumping family - his siblings include Mighty Potter and Brighterdayshead - and it will be fascinating to see how he fares for his new yard. (Paul Nicholls)
Hiddenvalley Lake (Liverpool Hurdle)
The way Hiddenvalley Lake won the Boyne Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs at Navan last time, after a switch to chasing was quickly shelved following a fall at the same venue, suggests he'd be well worth his place in the Aintree Hurdle line-up. However, as he represents the Henry de Bromhead and Robcour partnership that are also responsible for Bob Olinger, the Liverpool Hurdle over three miles would look the more obvious choice, especially as he showed as a novice last season that he stays the trip.
It's possible Hiddenvalley Lake may still need to take on a horse in the same ownership as Irish Point and Teahupoo are both entered, though the former has the Aintree Hurdle as an option, while the latter is especially effective when fresh so it would be no surprise if connections elected to wait for Punchestown. Either way, the lightly raced seven-year-old Hiddenvalley Lake would be a welcome addition to a staying scene that is crying out for some up-and-comers.
He made a big impression in a short space of time as a novice hurdler last season, winning a three-mile Grade 3 at Cork on just his second start, while an odds-on defeat to stablemate Monty's Star in a Grade 3 at Clonmel looks better now than it did at the time.
Hiddenvalley Lake fell on his chasing debut on his seasonal reappearance at Navan in December but quickly got back on track over hurdles in the Boyne, impressing with how quickly he settled matters after going on before the last. That wasn't a strong race and his Timeform rating of 150 means he will have some ground to make up on some rivals in the Liverpool Hurdle - last year's winner Sire du Berlais is rated 160, for context - but he has yet to show everything he has to offer. (Henry de Bromhead)
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