What’s Up Darling

(Gordon Elliott)

Gowran, February 15th

Qualifying for non-novice handicap chases at the Cheltenham Festival requires at least four runs over fences nowadays and What’s Up Darling reached that criteria when fifth at Gowran Park on Red Mills Day in a two-and-a-half-mile beginners’ chase. This wasn’t his best effort, but connections feel he needs better ground to be seen at his best, and his second at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival implied as much. A useful hurdler as a novice last season, finishing sixth in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham before a fourth in Grade 3 company at Aintree, the Gordon Elliott-trained novice chaser rates an interesting each-way candidate at 14/1 for the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, should connections embark on that route. It’s an unknown as to whether he’ll definitely tackle that handicap, given he’s declared for today’s Grade 3 Flyingbolt Novice Chase at Navan, but he looks one for a decent handicap chase before the spring is out, perhaps even at Aintree if Cheltenham comes too soon.

Bella Isabella

(Dermot Weld)

Dundalk, February 21st

The 103-rated California Dreamer was a class apart from her rivals in a mile fillies maiden at Dundalk and collected in the style you’d expect of a 1/6 favourite. Had the Amo Racing-owned favourite not been in the line-up for this winter series maiden, though, Bella Isabella would have run out a good winner for Dermot Weld and Moyglare Stud. The Wootton Bassett three-year-old raced further off the pace than the winner, but quickened up nicely and improved clearly from her soft-ground debut at Leopardstown last October. A half-sister to the same connections’ dual listed runner-up Emilie Gray, she’s out of a useful mare in the shape of Carla Bianca, a winner twice in Group 3 company and twice at listed level. At least a maiden win looks well within her grasp and some improvement could be expected from this Dundalk showing too, given she had been off for 125 days beforehand.

Nelson County

(Ross O’Sullivan)

Fairyhouse, February 22nd

There could well be a handicap or two to be won with Nelson County, who showed promise in point-to-points and looks to be improving with racing over hurdles for Ross O’Sullivan. His first start in a handicap at Fairyhouse last weekend was a positive showing, finishing third in a 23-runner event and subsequently nudged up 1lb from his introductory rating of 104. He’s still likely on good terms with the assessor. The Mount Nelson five-year-old has a decent pedigree, being out of a close relation to Irish Grand National winner Our Duke and useful staying hurdler Oscar Sam (peak Racing Post Rating of 150). With those stamina influences in mind, perhaps it should have been no surprise that he appeared to appreciate stepping up to two and a half miles last time. His jumping still has some scope to get sharper, but there was encouragement from how he finished out his race here. He remains unexposed.

Strong Link

(Ross O’Sullivan)

Naas, February 23rd

Also hailing from the Ross O’Sullivan team, Strong Link emerged with credit from his second-placed defeat to I’ll Sort That, in what ended up being the concluding bumper at Naas last weekend. The winner is held in high regard by a stable having a massive season and galloped on resolutely in demanding ground. In the face of that challenge, this was by no means a bad effort from Strong Link, who appears a versatile sort in terms of conditions. He has now looked effective on both yielding and heavy, though perhaps the ground being as testing as it was here isn’t ideal for most young, unexposed horses. He looked a shade green on his previous third at Down Royal, lugging left off the home bend and into the straight, but did little wrong here and should be well able to win races, based on the bright start he’s made to his career.

Kool One

(Conor Maxwell)

Naas, February 23rd

Connections possibly have one eye on the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival with Kool One, but a four-year-old maiden hurdle win looks a formality for the Conor Maxwell-trained gelding, if he doesn’t manage to open his account in deeper waters before then this spring. His trio of hurdles efforts this year have been rock-solid, the latest coming when second to Bacchanalian in the Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle at Naas last Sunday. That said, there could easily be some mileage in his flat mark of 65 too, having opened his account when last seen on the level in a mile-and-six-furlong handicap at Navan last October. He’s bound to continue giving owner Kieran Ryan plenty of fun under both codes, if his progressive profile continues as expected.