2012

THE Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse has been won by such horses as Hurricane Fly, Hardy Eustace and Moscow Flyer in the past, and it was the trainer of the last-named star, Jessica Harrington, who provided this season’s impressive winner in the shape of Jezki.

With the two-time Grade 1-winning bumper performer Champagne Fever and the 103-rated flat performer Minsk in opposition it looked a strong renewal of the race, but Jezki, who was unbeaten in two starts over hurdles and whose only defeat had come in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, proved to be much the best on the day.

Barry Geraghty was content to take his time on Jezki in the early stages, and wasn’t helped by his mount putting in some errant leaps early on, but Gerard McGrath’s four-year-old jumped much better as the race went on. Over the final flight it was clear that he would prove the strongest, drawing away to score by one and a half lengths from Champagne Fever.

Harrington opined: “We were a bit worried about him going right-handed for the first time, and he gave the first hurdle a clatter and jumped left at the next couple, but he jumped straight after that. If the ground is good at Christmas, he could well run at Leopardstown.

“He’s a two-miler, and longer term we’ll be looking at the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He’s only a four-year-old, so he’s bound to improve with experience. Like his half-brothers [Jered, Jenari and Jetson] he’ll be a better horse on better ground, and he should be better going left-handed.”

Champagne Fever was sent off as a short-priced favourite, and made it a solid test from the front, and while he jumped better than he had on his hurdling debut, he had no answer to the winner’s turn of foot in the closing stages.

A horse that emerged from the race with her stock much increased was the Willie Mullins-trained Zuzka. The daughter of Flemensfirth travelled well into the straight and briefly looked a threat to all, prior to finishing a close third, gaining valuable blacktype for herself and prompting a rapturous winners’ enclosure-type reception from her owners, the Supreme Horse Racing Club.

[Jezki went on to enjoy a stellar career, comprising 16 wins and earnings of £968,356.

Twice successful in bumpers, he compiled a tally of 14 wins over hurdles including the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, the Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Hurdle, the Grade 1 Tipperkevin Hurdle at Punchestown, the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown, the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse and the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle]

Arvika Ligeonniere cruises to victory

2012

IN terms of visual impression, the star of the day at Fairyhouse was the other Grade 1 winner for Mullins, Walsh and Ricci [they won the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle with Zaidpour], Arvika Ligeonniere in the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase.

Ricci’s seven-year-old had looked a bright prospect in novice hurdles during the 2009/10 campaign, but injury led to him missing over two years of racecourse action. He made an impressive winning return from that absence on his chasing debut at Punchestown in May, and he delivered on that promise in what looked a strong renewal of this always-informative Grade 1.

Ruby Walsh set out to make it a one-horse show and he achieved that, setting an unforgiving gallop in front and, having jumped well in the main, he had most of his rivals in trouble from a long way out. Despite the best efforts of his rivals to close the gap, the son of Arvico galloped on strongly and eventually came home 11 lengths in front of his floundering opposition.

Willie Mullins was understandably thrilled with the performance, Commenting: “That was impressive. He has a tremendous cruising speed, and we wouldn’t be afraid to come back to two miles with him.

“He was quick over the first four fences, and got away with them. We’ll get him plenty of experience. He has had a few little problems, but we gave him all the time he needed. Christmas is likely to be the next time you see him, and we’ll probably try him at two miles there.”

[Arvika Ligeonniere duly won the Grade 1 at Leopardstown, fell next time out, pulled up at Cheltenham, and then regained his winning thread at Punchestown in the Grade 1 Ryanair Novice Chase]

Our Conor certainly looks promising

2012

THE Grade 3 Bar One Racing Juvenile 3YO Hurdle hasn’t produced a serious Triumph Hurdle contender in recent years, but the race will have a promising representative going forward this season, as the Dessie Hughes-trained Our Conor ran out a ready winner under Bryan Cooper.

The son of Jeremy wasn’t ideally suited by the muddling pace, which obliged him to dispute the lead from quite a way out, but he jumped well and, despite a strong challenge from Stocktons Wings in the straight, he drew away on the run-in to win by an authoritative two and a half lengths.

A natural

Hughes commented: “He’s been a natural from day one and hopefully he’ll continue to progress and make up into a Triumph Hurdle horse. He ran on better ground on the flat, so you’d hope it would be fine for him over hurdles. He’ll probably run at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.”

[Our Conor won the Grade 1 at Leopardstown and was a stunning winner, by 15 lengths, of the Triumph Hurdle. He didn’t win the following season, finding Hurricane Fly too good on a couple of occasions, before falling in the Champion Hurdle, sadly with fatal consequences]

Schooling hurdles to appear at Punchestown

1982

IT is not unknown for racing correspondents to refer to the number of horses being ‘schooled’ on racecourses, sometimes with an enthusiasm which borders on rhetoric.

On Saturday last, at Punchestown, a legitimate schooling hurdle was staged. This unique event created a great deal of interest both here and in Britain. Naturally enough, some of the comments made, particularly those made verbally on the racecourse, were of the ribald variety, such as “which event is the schooling hurdle?”

Nevertheless, the school was well supported, with a mixed collection ranging from experienced handicappers to novices, and can be considered a success. The difficulty is to explain what is meant by success in this particular venture.

Run over two miles, the school was “for four-year-olds and upwards, ridden by anyone not a disqualified person”. There is no real restriction applying, so it is obviously meant to give some racecourse experience to graduating ‘bumper’ horses and more. Trainers might have a little more difficulty in future explaining the performance of novice hurdlers, but the scheme would have to be extended to make any impact.

Full racing colours were used on the racecard, along with the trainer’s name, and also the warning that “there will be no betting”. That did not prevent some personal exchanges, and one jockey’s valet of my acquaintance rashly lost £1 in opting for Romany Count to beat Irian.

He would be making a mistake

1982

EKBALCO turned the form of this year’s Waterford Crystal Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Back in March he was comprehensively beaten by For Auction, and even Broadsword passed him on the run-in. This time, in the Tia Maria Bula Hurdle, Ekbalco was held up for a late run, and sprinted past his two old rivals up the final hill.

Misleading

Saturday’s race, however, may have been a bit misleading. For Auction suffered a miserable 48-hour journey over from Ireland, which included a tiring delay at the Dublin docks.

Ekbalco’s victory left Jonjo O’Neill facing a pleasant but awkward choice of mounts in the Champion Hurdle between Ekbalco and Royal Vulcan, unbeaten in four runs this season.

Roger Fisher claimed: “Jonjo will ride mine all right. I’d be very surprised and disappointed if he did not. If he rides Royal Vulcan he would be making the wrong decision.”