ENDA BOLGER

GILGAMBOA

10yo b g (52111-)

Westerner – Hi Native

J.P. McManus

He is back in full work now and we will probably look to start him off over Christmas at Down Royal and kick-off a similar campaign to last year. He is qualified for the Cheltenham Foxhunter this time around, so that will be on his plan, but it would be ground dependent. I am very happy with him at the minute and we are on track for Down Royal.

STAKER WALLACE

7yo b g (13/)

King’s Theatre – Honeybunch

J.P. McManus

He is back in full training and we are working towards a spring campaign with him. He had a little issue after his good run at Leopardstown but that has all been sorted now and if we don’t have him out this side of Christmas, he will be out early in the new year. The plan would be to start him off in an open lightweight and then work towards Cheltenham with him.

STAND UP AND FIGHT

6yo b g (P4P-)

Flemensfirth – Aylesbury Park

J.P. McManus

He was entered at Loughrea last Sunday and we actually had him at the races but he would have needed all of the rain that fell there on Saturday. Sunday turned into a beautiful day and the ground was drying up as the day went on, so I just didn’t want to risk him. He will probably go to the Stonehall’s meeing now once there is a bit of ease in the ground.

He will go the hunter chase route after that, I just need to qualify him as unlike most of mine, he has never run in a point-to-point and went straight to the track. He is one I am really looking forward to and is a great jumper of a fence.

YOUCANNOTBESERIOUS

6yo b g (15-)

Presenting – Date To Venture

J.P. McManus

He will have a spring campaign that will all be about building for the Ladies Cup (Punchestown). He is a top-of-the-ground horse. I was genuinely disappointed when he got beaten in the hunter chase at Cork last November. He had a little issue after it, but we got that sorted. The banks is the route that we are going to go with him and so the Ladies Cup will be his Gold Cup.

DAVID CHRISTIE

EDDIES MIRACLE

10yo b br g (621F141U4251P-2)

Beat Of Drums – Ballinamona Gold

Ray Nicholas

Barry (O’Neill) came in after he was beaten at Moira on Saturday and said to just treat it as a schooling exercise. Eddies Miracle is a very lairy horse and a wee bit of an eccentric. We knew before the race that we were in a bit of trouble. Barry had said that there was going to be no pace and we were going to struggle to make the running on his first run of the season.

He ducked and dived at most of the fences and then he made a mistake at the top of the hill and scared himself. We will just put a line through it and move on either Tinahely or The Pigeons on Sunday. He is still the apple of my eye and will go for opens and then into hunter chases.

VINNIE LUCK

9yo b g (224311122-26)

Vinnie Roe – Glittering Luck

Ray Nicholas’s Sporting Pointers Syndicate

He had a great first run at Castletown and we thought he would go well at Loughrea last Sunday. We had said he would try race handy, but he ended up in front after a mile and we just got it all wrong. He is not that ground dependent and can run anywhere from two and a-half to three miles. He is very versatile and a horse that we will have a lot of fun with.

SAMBREMONT

8yo b g (22F25PPU1-)

Saint Des Saints – Rainbow Crest

D.M. Hegarty

He will run at Portrush on Saturday (today) and all being well he seems to be in better form. He had me scratching my head a few times, but the better ground does seem to suit him. I have decided to try and keep him fresh, so he has not been away anywhere so far. That seemed to work before his last win when he came back fresh from the sales.

On his day when things go right, he can be very good. We will just take it as it comes and if his form is good enough, we will try a hunter chase, if not he will stay pointing.

CORELLA CREEK

8yo b m (11F23-)

King’s Theatre – Silver Tassie

David Andrew Kells

It seems to be a year for the mares already and the division looks as though it is going to be very strong this season. The plan for her will be to go to Loughbrickland for the mares’ open next month and she is working well.

ROAD TO RICHES

11yo b g (090P667-)

Gamut – Bellora

David Maxwell

He is a great horse to have and will only have one run in an open here and then he will go for hunter chases in England and some banks races, as he is owned by David Maxwell who is based over there. I gave him a bit of a break and he starting back hack cantering this week and is already pulling the arms out of me, so he seems to be very well in himself. He moves well, is very sound and doesn’t look like a horse his age, so hopefully the change in scenery and drop in grade will relight the spark.

MARINERO

9yo b g (1251-)

Presenting – Peggy Maddock

David Maxwell

He will be hunter chasing in England again this season, and will probably have one run in an open here to get him ready.

The Aintree Foxhunters will be the main aim once again. It is great for a small trainer like myself to have these horses from David in the yard, and we have been very lucky to have horses win at Ascot and run well at Aintree together.