Racing: The Stayers' Hurdle champion Baracouda is set to head a team of over 20 horses that will carry the famous JP McManus colours at next week's Cheltenham Festival. McManus is odds-on to again be the leading owner at the festival and will have his ammunition arriving at Prestbury Park from three countries.
Baracouda will lead the French contingent from Francois Domen's yard and will carry confidence into his attempt to win the Stayers' crown for the third year in a row. "Everything seems to be right with him and he is the one of ours that we would have definite hopes for. He looks our main chance," said McManus's racing manager Frank Berry yesterday. "He doesn't mind the ground either way, along as it is not firm, and they seem quite happy with him at the moment."
Foreman, trained and ridden by Doumen's son Thierry, will join the Mouse Morris-trained Fota Island in the Champion Hurdle but the Gold Cup outsider First Gold will take part in an important piece of work in the next couple of days to see if he travel along with his compatriots. "It looks a bit iffy with him because he would not want the ground fast. He will work on Wednesday or Thursday and if Francois is happy with him, and the ground is safe, he would probably travel. If he doesn't there are always options for him at Liverpool and Punchestown," Berry said.
Fota Island got a positive report from his trainer yesterday despite being dismissed in the Champion Hurdle ante-post market at 50 to 1. "He doesn't know what price he is and he has definitely come on for his run in the AIG," said Morris. "I thought he'd nearly win the AIG and only for a mistake he probably would. It's an open Champion Hurdle this year and I'd be disappointed if he is not in the first four."
The 2002 Champion Chase winner Flagship Uberalles will again carry the McManus colours in the two-mile championship but Noel Meade's Mark The Man will only run in the SunAlliance Hurdle if the ground is on the easy side.
"On the opening day we have Lingo in the Supreme, maybe World Wide Web in the Kim Muir and Keepatem and Creon in the Pretemps," Berry said. "Martinstown looks our main horse for the Bumper now that Overbury Affair is a bit iffy and maybe Master Tern could run in the Mildmay Of Flete. "On Gold Cup day, Baracouda is our main horse and while Le Coudray is in the Cathcart he would need a lot of rain," he added.
Another possible starter is Risk Accessor but the McManus team are now considering a tilt at the Aintree Grand National with that horse.
Mouse Morris could have four other runners in addition to Fota Island. They are War Of Attrition (Supreme), Rostropovich and Keepatem (Pretemps) and Seaforde (Triumph Hurdle.)
Meanwhile, Jessica Harrington put the finishing touches to Moscow Flyer's Cheltenham preparation at Naas racecourse yesterday afternoon. The reigning two-mile champion chaser jumped five fences under his big race rider Barry Geraghty in company with his stable companion Colca Canyon and another Arkle Trophy hope Central House who was ridden by David Casey.
Afterwards Geraghty reported: "It was a nice piece of work and everything went well. I'm more than happy with him." Harrington, who wasn't present, said later: "Barry rang me to say he was very pleased and I'm delighted with the horse at this stage. We will just keep going now until next week."
It had been a busy morning at the Co Kildare track with a number of other Cheltenham Festival hopes being put through their paces. The star novice Brave Inca was in action and so were the Michael Halford-trained pair, Golden Cross (Champion Hurdle) and Mr McAuley (Champion Bumper.) Both horses will be ridden by Paul Carberry and Halford said: "That's it for serious work. Now we will try and keep them fresh for next week."
Another star to work yesterday was Native Upmanship who will bypass Cheltenham if favour of another attempt at Liverpool's Mumm Melling Chase over his favourite two and a half mile trip.
