Andrew Asquith highlights six key horses who are set to run in Ireland this week.
Allaho – 14:50 Clonmel (Thursday)
Allaho will make his eagerly anticipated return to action in the Clonmel Oil Chase on Thursday having been off the track since his Punchestown Gold Cup win in April 2022.
He missed all of last season after suffering a bleed on his spleen, an injury Willie Mullins noted was ‘very unusual’ when Sporting Life went to visit last month.
Allaho produced three outstanding performances in 2022, which included a second win in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and all roads will seemingly lead back to Cheltenham this season.
This looks an ideal starting place for Allaho, who escapes a penalty in this Grade 2 event, and the level of his form is much superior to his rivals. It will be exciting to see him back on the track and provided he comes through this test well, Mullins has also suggested the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day could be a possibility.
Magical Zoe – 14:02 Down Royal (Friday)
Magical Zoe was successful in her only start in bumpers for Barry Fitzgerald and she developed into a useful novice hurdler for Henry de Bromhead last season, impressively making a winning start in this sphere before taking a Grade 3 at Downpatrick on her second start.
She did especially well to win in the manner she did on that occasion, overcoming a less-than-ideal track position, and she was well supported for the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices Hurdle (Dawn Run) at the Cheltenham Festival on her next start.
Magical Zoe could only finish second but enhanced both her form and reputation in the process, again arguably left with too much to do but staying on well in the closing stages. She shaped like a non-stayer upped to two and a half miles at Fairyhouse on her final start last season, but returned with a routine success in a listed event at Gowran in September.
Magical Zoe takes on the boys for the first time now, but she can make the most of the weight she receives from Grade 1 winner Irish Point, who is making his reappearance and may find her too sharp over two miles.
Gerri Colombe – 14:20 Down Royal (Saturday)
This Grade 1 chase over three miles has only attracted six entries, four of which are trained by Gordon Elliott (the other two by Henry de Bromhead), but the most interesting of the sextet is Gerri Colombe, who developed into a high-class novice chaser last season.
He won his first three starts over fences, notably the Faugheen Novices’ Chase and the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase, both Grade 1s over two and a half miles. He met with defeat for the first time in this sphere when beaten a short head by The Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, coming agonisingly close to reeling in the all-the-way winner.
Gerri Colombe lost little in defeat that day, as expected relishing the step up to three miles, and he was seen to much better effect when quickly resuming winning ways in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree on his final start. He was well suited by the emphasis being more on stamina and also impressed in the jumping department.
Gerri Colombe is a general 6/1 second favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and has the potential to develop into a top-notcher this season. He could potentially face last year’s winner Envoi Allen and stablemate Conflated, but he arrives very much unexposed at this trip.
Tullyhill – 12:50 Naas (Sunday)
Tullyhill cost £220,000 after winning his sole start in points and he looked a very good prospect when landing the odds in a bumper at Gowran on his Rules debut in March.
That came in heavy ground over 18 furlongs and he didn’t need to come off the bridle and he showed much improved form when runner-up to Champion Bumper winner A Dream To Share in the Punchestown Champion Bumper on his final start.
Tullyhill was easy to back, but confirmed his debut promise and then some under vastly different conditions, arguably looking an even better long-term prospect than the winner. He is a staying chaser in the making, but also has the potential to take high rank amongst this season’s novice hurdlers and will relish this trip on his hurdling debut.
Dysart Dynamo – 14:00 Naas (Sunday)
Willie Mullins is responsible for half of the entries in the Popular Square Chase and, though Dysart Dynamo didn’t reach the heights he threatened to over fences last season, there is no doubt he is a talented performer when everything drops right.
He looked very good when making a winning start over fences at Leopardstown, typically travelling with plenty of enthusiasm and jumping very well, but he was unable to get away with his over enthusiastic tendencies when moving into Grade 1 company.
Dysart Dynamo took a heavy fall in the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival but it didn’t appear to effect his performance when runner-up to stablemate El Fabiolo at Punchestown on his final start and he remains with potential as a chaser provided he learns to settle in his races.
Six-year-old mare Dinoblue and Sir Gerhard are other notable entries for Mullins, particularly the former, who gained plenty of experience in handicaps last season, winning her final start from an official mark of 147 at Punchestown. She is expected to make her mark in graded company this season, with a likely tilt at the Mares’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival high on her agenda.
Gaelic Warrior – 14:35 Naas (Sunday)
Gaelic Warrior came with a big reputation on his British debut in March 2022 when narrowly failing to land a gamble in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
He quickly developed into a very smart novice last season, though, winning his first three starts and landed sustained support in a big-field handicap hurdle at Leopardstown in February.
Gaelic Warrior again filled the runner-up spot at the Cheltenham Festival, but was far from disgraced behind stablemate Impaire Et Passe in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, and he got straight back in the winners’ enclosure upped to three miles in the War of Attrition Novices' Hurdle at Punchestown.
A good-topped gelding, he is just the type to develop further now sent chasing, and is a most exciting prospect.
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