WE saw some smart novice hurdle performances this week in Leopardstown but it’s interesting that Nicky Henderson still holds two of the first three in the betting for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and he runs both of those horses in Newbury today.
Willmount takes a step up in trip for the two-and-a-half-mile Grade 1 Coral Challow Novice Hurdle while earlier the J.P. McManus-owned Jeriko Du Reponet returns to the course and distance of his facile novice hurdle win in the Coral-backed Introductory Hurdle (12.40).
The greater test will obviously be of Willmount, who also won his novice hurdle at this course, but now steps up to Grade 1 company on only his second start over hurdles, and over a half-mile longer trip.
“We’re running him because he has a bit of experience and we wanted to split up him and Jeriko (Du Reponet), which was the main idea,” Henderson said yesterday.
Pretty sensible
“He’s a pretty sensible sort of horse and he behaves like he has been at it a while, which he has been in fairness. He had a point-to-point and then two bumpers and one run over hurdles and he knows what he is doing. I hope he’s a horse with a bright future, but it’s a good race – a very competitive race.
“He doesn’t scream to you that he wants further, but I hope he will cope with it. The ground (described as good to soft yesterday) would be the biggest concern. This will be very hard work, I anticipate.”
The biggest danger to Willmount is rated as the Paul Nicholls-trained Captain Teague, bidding to give his trainer four wins in a row in this Grade 1. Last year’s Champion Bumper third lost his unbeaten hurdles record at Cheltenham last time, but was giving away a penalty to Minella Missile.
His trainer, writing in his Betfair blog, said: “Captain Teague is very well, he has run very well [this season]. He won the Persian War and gave away a penalty at Cheltenham.
“I don’t think it all went quite to plan at Cheltenham, but he will run very well. The ground will suit him and the track will suit him.”
Nicholls also runs Ascot scorer Farnoge, who will be ridden by Bryony Frost. On his chances, he said: “I don’t think Farnoge is too far behind Captain Teague. He keeps on winning and has been very impressive this year.
“He will love the track and the ground, but there are some good horses in this race and it is going to be a very hard race to win.”
A simpler task awaits Jeriko Du Reponet earlier on the card where he was odds-on yesterday evening to make it two wins from two runs this term.
“He’s a big horse and he’s only had one point-to-point and one hurdle race which didn’t tell us very much,” said Henderson. “But he did what he had to and was learning all the way. This is a better-quality field and we will see how we go here.”
THE two-mile-three-furlong conditions hurdle on the Punchestown New Year’s Eve card often provides an intriguing clash of styles and this year’s contest (Tote Guatantee Available On Course and Tote.ie Hurdle, 2.15) stays true to that theme.
Former Ballymore winner Sir Gerhard, Grand National runner-up Vanillier and Thedevilscoachman all return to hurdles having been chasing recently, assumingly prepping for something back over the larger obstacles.
The eight-year-old Ashdale Bob is more definitive as a hurdler and he wasn’t far away at the top level in the stayers’ division last term, having finished second to Home By The Lee in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown and a relatively close fifth to Klassical Dream in the Punchestown Champion Stayers Hurdle in April.
His trainer Jessica Harrington was in the winner’s enclosure with Jetara and Leopardstown yesterday and was looking forward to getting him started.
“It’s nice to get him back in action this weekend at Punchestown,” she said. “We think this looks like a nice conditions race for him to start back in.
“I know he hasn’t won for a little while but I think he’s been unlucky over the last couple of years and has run some nice races. He seems to be in good form at home ahead of this weekend.”
The race also sees Aspire Tower return to hurdles after a couple of uninspiring efforts over fences following a long break. Henry de Bromhead’s gelding finished fourth to Honeysuckle in the 2021 Champion Hurdle, and bids to get his career back on track now.