RACING:Willie Mullins is among the trainers expected to use the opportunity to work Cheltenham-bound horses after racing at Leopardstown tomorrow evening but unlike in some previous years, racegoers waiting around for festival clues are warned not to expect "massive fireworks."
Fears about ground drying out stopped some trainers from working their horses after racing last year and it appears similar concerns could exist this time despite forecasts of up to 40 horses stretching their limbs tomorrow.
However, plenty of those won’t be Cheltenham festival types and there could be more clues on offer on Monday and Tuesday mornings when Leopardstown allows trainers the opportunity to get some racecourse-schooling into their charges. “There seems to be memories of last year around, when the ground dried right up, so trainers are keeping their cards close to their chests,” said Leopardstown’s Nessa Joyce yesterday.
“But it will probably end up yielding by Sunday. There’s still a lot of moisture in the ground here from all the rain we had in January. It will be a long way from good going, but I don’t think there will be any massive fireworks on Sunday.”
Workout sessions
Mullins is a stalwart of the post-race workout sessions but which of his massive Cheltenham string he will bring to Leopardstown was still “up in the air” yesterday. Dermot Weld has also indicated he will work horses, as has Dessie Hughes, trainer of the Triumph Hurdle favourite Our Conor.
All three will be represented during racing proper and it can be costly to ignore the significance of the track action since Jezki, the main Irish hope for the Supreme in 10 days’ time, won the bumper on this card in 2012.
This time it is the Weld-trained Naas winner Grecian Tiger who has to concede weight all round in a finale that is enlivened by the presence of a pair of Aidan O’Brien trained runners on the final National Hunt card of the season at Leopardtown. Egyptian Warrior, a full brother to the Derby favourite Kingsbarns, was heavily touted before his debut 10 days ago but finished only fifth, a place behind his stable companion Shield. Ridden by O’Brien’s daughter, Sarah, there could be much better to come on the back of that experience.
Mullins’s big-race reach is expected to be a major factor at Cheltenham but Ireland’s champion trainer has even more exotic ambitions in mind for Blackstairmountain, ambitions that could be enhanced by victory in the Ballsbridge Hurdle.
Blackstairmountain
A proven Grade One scorer over hurdles and fences, Blackstairmountain has been nominated for the $1.5 million Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan on April 13th. With a prize of €565,000 to the winner, the Japanese race run over a distance of almost two and three quarter miles is usually run on quick ground which is important to the Rich Ricci owned star.
It certainly wasn’t like that when Blackstairmountain struggled to a win at Cork in January but with conditions starting to squeeze up, he should be capable of better.
JP McManus has three hopes for the €37,500 Carrickmines Handicap Chase but it might be significant that Jim Culloty chooses to give Spring Heeled just a third start over fences here, on better ground, and with Davy Russell scheduled to take the ride.
