Noel Meade
Road To Respect
8yo ch g (43/13235-)
Gamut - Lora Lady
Gigginstown House Stud
All is well with him, he looks good and we’re just building him up nicely. There is no solid plan in place but I’d imagine Down Royal could be on his agenda again. He won so well up there last year and ran to a good level in the two Grade 1s at Leopardstown. He was just a little unlucky to lose out to Bellshill by a short-head in the Irish Gold Cup. The ground was very quick that day and I just thought that reflected on the rest of his season. I felt it might have affected his jumping. He’s in good form now and we’re looking forward to getting him started.
Snow Falcon
9yo b g (UP/4114-6)
Presenting - Flocon De Neige
Mrs Patricia Hunt
He is in good shape and he could also be heading up north for the Grade 1 at Down Royal. He is rated 156 over fences and he’ll have lots of options in Grade 2 and Grade 3 races later in the season.
Tout Est Permis
6yo gr g (58/71118-)
Linda’s Lad - Kadalbleue
Gigginstown House Stud
He did very well for us last year, winning three times and progressing to a high mark. I was disappointed with him in the Irish Grand National but time might tell that was an impossible task off top weight. He didn’t stay for whatever reason but I think he was struggling too far out to be definitive about him not getting the trip. He’s in good form now and he’s still only young. I’d be hopeful we can develop him into a Grade 1 horse this season.
Brace Yourself
6yo ch g (2132/1-)
Mahler - Angelica Garnett
Mrs Patricia Hunt
He only got to run once last season, winning his maiden hurdle at Down Royal, after which he picked up an injury and we had to leave him off. He was a good bumper horse and still is potentially a very nice horse going forward. I’m not sure if we’ll go chasing with him, he could stay over hurdles.
First Approach
6yo b g (46140-4)
Robin Des Champs - Manhattan Babe
Mrs Patricia Hunt
He is one that will be going over fences and I’m very much looking forward to that. He did well to win three times last season and he finished off his season with his best effort, when not beaten far in fourth in the Grade 1 three-mile novice hurdle at Punchestown. He’s exciting now as a three-mile chaser.
Minella Fair
8yo b g (1531/6-)
Flemensfirth - Bell Walks Run
Mrs Patricia Hunt
Last year was frustrating. He needs soft ground and we just never got a clear run with him. I’m very happy with him and I still think he could have a big future but he needs soft ground to run.
Diol Ker
5yo b g (2F1/532-)
Martaline - Stiren Bleue
Gigginstown House Stud
He was unlucky not to win a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown last Christmas, when he made a bad mistake at the last and gave up his chance. He ran second at Navan after that and hasn’t run since. He’s done well in the interim, I like him, and I think he can progress this season.
Beacon Edge
5yo b g (14-3)
Doyen - Laurel Gift
Gigginstown House Stud
He won a bumper for Nicky Richards and then did very well for me in two of biggest bumpers of the season, finishing fourth in the new Grade 2 at the Dublin Racing Festival and then a close third to Colreevy in the Champion Bumper at Punchestown. He’s a nice type of horse to have going hurdling now and we’re looking forward to him.
Sixshooter
4yo ch g (1-1)
Well Chosen - Lobinstown Girl
Gigginstown House Stud
He won his two bumpers last season, the first at Leopardstown and the second at Punchestown, where he beat what looked a good horse of Willie Mullins’s (The Big Getaway). He is another exciting one to have going hurdling.
Jessica Harrington
Supasundae
9yo b g (22271-2)
Galileo - Distinctive Look
Ann & Alan Potts Limited
He is alright, in good form and it’s the usual thing with him – he just takes a long time to get fit. He may not be ready until around Christmas but he’ll have plenty of options over a range of trips when he is ready to run. He is a Grade 1 horse, he showed that at Aintree last season and that’s probably a race he will go for again.
Magic Of Light
8yo b m (3112U72-)
Flemensfirth - Quest Of Passion
Ann & Alan Potts Limited
She was brilliant last year and ran a fabulous race to be second in the Grand National. All roads lead back to Aintree with her but there is plenty for her in the interim as we can go down the mares’ route, over both fences and hurdles.
All roads lead back to Aintree for Grand National runner-up Magic Of Light \ Healy Racing
Sizing John
9yo b g (1111/17/)
Midnight Legend - La Perrotine
Ann & Alan Potts Limited
He is coming on well. With him, because he has been off the track for so long, it is best to just take it day by day. If he is on track, he could be back by Christmas. He’ll need soft ground to run.
Not Many Left
6yo b g (4132-F)
Oscar - Lasado
Robcour
We’re going to stay over hurdles with him. He progressed very well last season, running big races at Cheltenham, Fairyhouse and Punchestown, where he fell just as he was getting into the Champion Stayers Hurdle. He will be back around Christmas and there is plenty to look forward to with him.
Tony Martin
Anibale Fly
9yo b g (34/6225-)
Assessor - Nouba Fly
John P McManus
He looks great. We haven’t done any fast work yet and he’d be a while away from a run but he’s in good form and we’re happy to be tipping away with him. Last year wasn’t ideal and I’m just hoping the ground will be a bit more forgiving this year so we can run him a bit more often. I’d like to take in the big Grade 1 races at Leopardstown – the Savills Chase at Christmas and the Irish Gold Cup in February. He is good enough for those races and he likes it at Leopardstown. He ran a blinder in the Gold Cup and Grand National last year and they are obvious targets for him again.
Anibale Fly is rated 168 over fences and will be a huge force if getting his favoured soft ground at Leopardstown \ carolinenorris.ie
Tudor City
7yo b g (NH: 2582-21, F: 23-584)
Yeats - She’s Our Mare
John Breslin
He ran another good race at the Curragh on Sunday and we’re going to keep him going. He has lots of options on the flat and over hurdles. It was obviously great to win at Galway and the penalty he got for that was fair enough. He’s 147 now and it just means that we may have to claim off him in the big handicap hurdles, if he’s carrying well over 11st. He’s a consistent horse and he rarely runs badly so I think he can be competitive in the big handicap hurdles.
John Joe Walsh
Davids Charm
8yo b g (NH: 960-541, F: 28-0631)
Milan - Have More
T A O’Brien Partnership
It was great to win his previous two races because he had been unlucky at the Curragh before that, when he got no run, and at Galway, in the Hurdle where he was bumped a few times. The plan is to go to the Cesarewitch next and then we’ll think about what route to take with him over hurdles. His mark is a little high now so we’ll probably end up going down the graded route. He jumps hurdles so well, I’d say he would a jump a fence just as well, but his owner is keen to keep him over hurdles. He’s in great form and we’ve a lot to look forward to.
Norman Lee
Sole Pretender
5yo b g (NH: 211-15, F: 2)
Gold Well - Cool Quest
M P Hogan
I think he ran a cracker in the Galway Hurdle (fifth). It was a slowly run race, which was unusual and I think that counted against him. In hindsight, if we knew that there was going to be no pace, we would probably have sent him on from the front. We then probably ran him back too quick on the flat at Tramore. But, he had a brilliant summer, and he’s still a very young horse so there is lots to look forward to. He is on a break now and we’ll be aiming to bring him back around Christmas or a little bit after. He wouldn’t want real heavy ground so we’ll have to monitor that but off his current rating (148) we’d be looking at graded hurdles for him.
Eddie Harty
Coney Island
8yo b g (PP/376-8)
Flemensfirth - Millys Gesture
John P McManus
He’s fine after the Galway Plate where he did well to finish eighth off a big weight and around a track that probably didn’t suit him. I’m very happy with him since and he’s in great form here at home. He has had niggly problems throughout his career which hasn’t made life easy for him or for me but I’m hoping he is over that now. He was more like his old self last season and his run in the Ryanair was very good. People have suggested he could be a bit difficult to place with the rating he has now but he is very versatile with regard to trip and he could go back over hurdles as well. I’d love to just get a win into him again, for his own sake, it could make a big difference to him.