Fast Results

Scores

Racecards

Views from connections ahead of Newbury's Coral Challow Hurdle and Leopardstown's Savills Chase

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sat December 28, 2024 · 36 min ago

The latest news and views from connections ahead of Saturday's Grade One action from Leopardstown and Newbury.

Leopardstown 2.35 Savills Chase

Paul Townend is welcoming a return to Leopardstown for dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs, as the duo prepare to lock horns with stablemate and John Durkan Memorial conqueror Fact To File in a mouthwatering Savills Chase.

The Willie Mullins-trained pair were split by Jimmy Mangan’s Spillane’s Tower when fighting out a pulsating finish to the Punchestown feature last month, with Fact To File’s victory seeing him join Galopin Des Champs at the head of the betting with most firms for next year’s Gold Cup.

However, they first face a rematch over an extended three miles at a track where Galopin Des Champs is unbeaten in five starts over fences, winning this particular contest in emphatic fashion 12 months ago.

His big-race pilot is relishing taking on Fact To File again in “our playground” and is confident the eight-year-old can step forward from his seasonal reappearance.

“I can’t wait to get back on him,” said Townend.

“I hope he has what it takes to turn the tables on Fact To File. I thought he would step up big time from the John Durkan. Who knows, and Fact To File is entitled to step up as well, but Leopardstown is our playground and I think it’s down to him to come and beat us again.”

Fact To File takes the measure of Galopin Des Champs

A return to three miles should hold no fears for Fact To File, who showcased his talent over that distance at the Cheltenham Festival in March and also brings winning course form to the table.

However, despite downing a two-time Gold Cup champion on his return, his owner JP McManus is refusing to anoint him a blue riband winner in waiting just yet, with connections respectful of the challenge that awaits at the Dublin venue.

“I’m nervous, fingers crossed,” said McManus. “He did it well that day (in the John Durkan).”

McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry added: “He has come out of the John Durkan very well and Willie is very happy with him, we’re looking forward to seeing him run. I thought Galopin Des Champs ran a blinder at Punchestown and it looks like he is better round Leopardstown. He was very impressive there last season and he is going to be a very hard horse to beat.”

Fact To File is one of three in the race sporting the famous green and gold silks, alongside Grand National-winning stablemate I Am Maximus and Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin, a winner at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree in the spring.

Berry added: “We’re looking forward to seeing I Am Maximus back out, he’s in good form and it will be interesting to see how he runs. The other horse is a bit ground dependent and we will have to see how the conditions are for him. He likes a good dig in it, but he’s in good form and if it’s OK for him, we hope he could run a nice race.”

Mullins is responsible for five of the nine, with Grangeclare West and Minella Cocooner the others on the Closutton teamsheet.

There is also Grade One action in the Savills Hurdle, where King George-winning trainer Joseph O’Brien attempts to extend his joyous festive period with Home By The Lee.

A winner of this race two years ago, he readily accounted for the re-opposing Bob Olinger in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan and is primed to go toe-to-toe with Henry de Bromhead’s evergreen star once more.

O’Brien said: “He comes here in good form and has had a good preparation – he’s trained well since Navan. We’re looking forward to getting him out again.

“He’s going off the back of the most enthusiasm he has shown in a race for some while the last day, so we’re excited to go back to Leopardstown where he has performed well in the past – and hopefully he can run a good race.”

The contest also features Hewick switching to hurdles on his first start for temporary trainer Tara Lee Cogan, the mercurial Asterion Forlonge and Emmet Mullins’ 2022 Grand National winner Noble Yeats.

Home By The Lee (left) clears the last

Newbury 2.55 Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle

Paul Nicholls hailed Regent’s Stroll as “the apple of my eye” ahead of his first real test in the Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.

Unbeaten in two bumpers and very impressive on his hurdling debut at the same track, he faces a different quality of opposition in this Grade One contest.

Nicholls admits he would have preferred to have given the five-year-old more experience before stepping up to the highest level, but he rates an exciting prospect.

“He’s the apple of my eye and won his two bumpers last season in style before making a winning debut over hurdles at this track a month ago by nine and a half lengths despite walking through the second-last flight,” Nicholls told Betfair.

“Ideally I’d like to have given Regent’s Stroll another race for experience before tackling this Grade One contest, but he looks great, has done lots of jumping at home and two and a half miles on good to soft is perfect for him. He has a big future.”

https://m.skybet.com/horse-racing/leopardstown/handicap-hurdle-2m-7f-80y/34832463?aff=681&dcmp=SL_RACING

His main market rival comes from the yard of Nicholls’ former assistant Dan Skelton. The New Lion has oozed class in winning a bumper and twice over hurdles and Skelton would not swap him for any of the others.

“He looks great, and this is a race we’ve looked at for a while. At home, I’m happy with him and he’s jumped nicely,” he told Ladbrokes. “I don’t want to talk about the others, really; there’s some good horses in that race, but I’m concentrating on my own.

“We’re really happy with him – it’s going to be a difficult one to win, of course, but I wouldn’t swap him for anyone in the field.”

Bill Joyce beat another well-regarded Nicholls novice in Quebecois in a Grade Two at Sandown last time out but AJ O’Neill, who trains in partnership with his father Jonjo, admitted he would prefer softer ground.

“We were very happy with the run at Sandown, he ran a lovely race,” he said. “We’re looking forward to seeing him out again but he could probably do with a drop more rain. That is the one thing we can’t control unfortunately.

“He’s a lovely horse, to be fair – a big, strong horse. He’s keen enough early, but I’m not sure how much faster he can go in the early stages – he thinks he’s got loads of speed, but I think he might be wrong! Hopefully we won’t have to find out.”

Patrick Mullins on the Savills & State Man

Ben Pauling’s It’s Hard To Know is another defending an unbeaten record over timber while the fact Joe Tizzard’s First Confession and the Jamie Snowden-trained Wendigo, both winners last time out, are available at big prices advertises the strength in depth in the race.

Pauling feels his runner is a worthy each-way candidate.

“He’s in really good order with himself, he’s a horse I like and while he isn’t flashy at home, while he’s only run in midweek races, they’ve had plenty of depth to them,” said Pauling.

“He’s won them relatively straightforwardly, hopefully in a better race he’ll get a lead off one or two, he goes there in good form and I’d say he is a lively outsider.”

Sunday

Leopardstown 2.30 Neville Hotels Hurdle

Connections feel Brighterdaysahead is still the “pretender” as their star mare attempts to confirm the form of her brilliant Morgiana Hurdle victory over State Man in the Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Held in the highest regard, the sole blip in the career of Gordon Elliott’s ultra-talented five-year-old came when second to Jeremy Scott’s Golden Ace at the Cheltenham Festival.

However, she has since shown her true potential with a devastating display at Aintree to finish her novice season in style and two superb victories in open company this term.

The most recent of those successes came when lowering the colours of the reigning Champion Hurdler at Punchestown, but Brighterdaysahead had a fitness edge on that occasion and her team are expecting to tackle a better State Man for round two of their rivalry, in a race Willie Mullins’ crack two-miler has won for the past two years.

“We had the advantage last time because we had a run under our belts and he didn’t so we’re going to meet a much fitter State Man this time,” said Eddie O’Leary of Brighterdaysahead’s owners Gigginstown House Stud.

“State Man is the reigning champ and we’re still the pretender – State Man is a real champ.

“We think she is a very good mare and Gordon is very happy with her at home and hopefully all goes well, but we are still the pretender and we’re under no illusions. If we’re beaten then we’re beaten and we’ll go to the Mares’ Hurdle then.”

Mullins has won this race a record 11 times and along with State Man is responsible for four of the seven runners, including Morgiana third Winter Fog, Daddy Long Legs and Mystical Power.

The latter upheld his fearsome reputation last season, with the son of Galileo and Quevega claiming the Moscow Flyer before gaining compensation for a near miss in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Grade One victories at both Aintree and Punchestown in the spring.

Sent off joint-favourite at Newcastle for the Fighting Fifth he failed to land a glove on impressive winner Sir Gino, but his powerful connections are keen to forget about that disappointing return, despite admitting it will be tough for the five-year-old to usurp State Man as the Closutton number one in this division.

“Willie couldn’t find anything wrong with him after Newcastle and nothing came to light so we basically draw a line through it and it was too bad a run to be true,” said Frank Berry, racing manager for JP McManus, who owns the regally-bred gelding alongside Rich Ricci and Coolmore.

“I do think he has a mountain to climb to beat State Man myself, he’s one of the top horses in this division. However, they seem happy with Mystical Power and hopefully he can run a good race.”

In a race where only the Irish powerhouses of Mullins and Elliott provide runners, the field is complete by Brighterdaysahead’s stablemates King Of Kingsfield and Fils d’Oudairies.