THE last time Charles Byrnes visited the winner’s enclosure at Ascot, he was sporting a top hat and tails in the height of summer and Fran Berry was the winning rider.

Time flies and a decade has passed this year since Domination was expertly produced to win the 2014 Ascot Stakes at the Royal Meeting for the Co Limerick operation.

Visits to the Berkshire track have been few and far between in the years that have followed for Byrnes. He has only saddled four runners and none were too far off the mark; Run For Oscar finished second and third in back-to-back runnings of the Queen Alexandra Stakes, while Thosedaysaregone and Turnpike Trip both finished fourth in valuable Grade 3 handicaps over hurdles.

However, Byrnes is aiming to add a National Hunt Grade 1 win at the course to his CV this afternoon.

While clearly needing to improve from his mark of 145 to strike at the highest level, Shoot First looks a staying hurdler on the rise and has been talked up by some as a possible Stayers’ Hurdle candidate. The recent £100,000 handicap hurdle winner at Haydock will have the opportunity to test those credentials in the Grade 1 Howden Long Walk Hurdle (2.25).

“He’s going there in good form,” Byrnes told The Irish Field.

“Obviously on ratings he’s got roughly 7lb to 15lb to find with a handful of the horses he’s running against. That probably makes it a big task for him. Hopefully he’s improving.

“He was good last time at Haydock. In an ideal world, we’d have preferred more rain for him than he’s going to have here but we’re hoping for a good run from him.”

Shoot First was extremely easy to back before his smart Haydock success, returning at an SP of 22/1. Was there any surprise about the performance he was able to produce, especially when it was only his second run after a 735-day layoff?

Expected performance

“He didn’t surprise us at all. We fancied him going there,” said Byrnes.

“He’s always been a nice horse. He was favourite for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham [in 2023] before he had to miss out with an injury.”

The Olly Murphy-trained Strong Leader, winner of last season’s Liverpool Hurdle and the Long Distance Hurdle earlier this month, sets the standard for the home team in Ascot’s feature. Crambo, who claimed this prize 12 months ago, is also firmly in the mix for Fergal O’Brien.

That said, there is a strong Irish challenge. J.P. McManus’ new purchase, The Wallpark, is seeking a fifth straight win for Gordon Elliott as he tries graded company for the first time. Last season’s Boyne Hurdle winner, Hiddenvalley Lake, is unexposed at this trip for Henry de Bromhead, while Bill Durkan’s Eagle Fang needs to build on a career-best third to Home By The Lee at Navan last month.

Asked about whether there have been any travel disruptions for Shoot First with the ongoing ferry port difficulties many have been facing in recent weeks, Byrnes said on Friday: “He arrived out there fine since the morning. We went from Rosslare to Fishguard and only decided late enough about definitely running because we were waiting for some of the rain to arrive, and a bit did the other night.

“Some of the others seemed to travel over on Monday, which can be a long week over there.

“We’d usually go half a day before but that’s just how it worked out this time.”

Heading into Ascot, Shoot First is as big as 33/1 for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.