Ireland's four-times champion amateur rider Philip Fenton, now training at Carrick-on-Suir in Co Tipperary, has nominated the mare Shirley Casper in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper as his best chance of success at next week's Cheltenham Festival.
Fenton, who as a jockey landed the National Hunt Chase at the Festival in 1996 aboard Loving Around, is looking forward to saddling his first-ever runners at racing's showpiece event, and expects Shirley Casper to put up a bold show in a contest the Irish have taken 11 times since its inception in 1992. Irish-bred horses have won all bar one of the 14 runnings.
The six-year-old daughter of Presenting - an impressive winner of a point-to-point at Dundrum in March, 2006, before finishing a good second of 24 in a Cork bumper the following month - cost just 3,700 euros as a yearling at the 2002 Tattersalls Ireland January Sale. She has made a big impression this year, scoring on her return at Fairyhouse on December 2 and going on to capture a Grade Two contest at Navan 15 days later, battling to a short-head victory over Mick The Man.
Fenton said: "Shirley Casper is bang on course for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. She did her last piece of work at the Curragh yesterday morning, and it was very satisfactory. We also have Woodbine Willie in the race, but won't make a final decision on his participation until later this week.
"She has had plenty of time to recover from her last race and we were delighted with her performance. It was very heavy at Navan that day, and better ground would suit her. I would say that she has improved with every run and we are hoping for a big run at Cheltenham.
"We often start off our youngsters in point-to-points - as we did with Shirley Casper - as it is a quiet way to introduce them to racing. I'm not sure whether that experience will come into play at Cheltenham, but as a trainer it (point-to-pointing) can give you an idea on how much ability and potential a horse has."
Fenton also has high hopes at the Festival for two other ex point-to-pointers, Arrive Sir Clive, who was beaten only six lengths when third to Aran Concerto in the Grade One Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on February 10, and Vic Venturi, who chased home Mister Top Notch in the Grade One Dr P J Moriarty Novice Chase at the Dublin track the same day.
He continued: "Arrive Sir Clive is going for the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle - unfortunately he has to go and take on Aran Concerto again! He looks like a future three-mile chaser and we'll be happy to be back at The Festival next year for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase.
"It was not a proper run race last time. He lost some momentum after Catch Me knocked him when unseating at the second last, and he could not get back into the race after that. Cheltenham will suit this horse, as will the step up in trip, but there is no reason to think we can turn the tables with Aran Concerto.
"Vic Venturi had very solid form - he has only finished out of the first three once in his career - but we always had it in the back of our minds that we might need to sort his wind out. He had an operation in December and he ran a great race on his first run back, staying on well at Leopardstown behind Mister Top Notch.
"He bounced out of his last race brilliantly - better than I thought he would. We have still not decided which race he will go for but I might just be favouring the Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase ahead of the Royal & SunAlliance Chase."
With 13 winners so far this campaign - two more than in 2005/06 - Fenton has settled well into the training ranks, and is delighted to be going to Cheltenham with some live chances.
He added: "This is my third full season as a trainer and thankfully we have a good team of horses here with some very nice youngsters still to come out. We only have one or two horses off the Flat - most are store horses and they need time to develop. We have about 75 horses in all at the moment, including point-to-pointers, and I'm happy with that number.
"These last couple of weeks have been a bit nervy - you are just waiting for the big day to arrive - but it is very exiting and we are going across the water with horses that deserve to take their chances.
"Riding a winner at Cheltenham was fantastic satisfaction. To ride a winner at Cheltenham is most jockeys' dream. Now I would love to get into that winners' enclosure as a trainer!
"I would say Shirley Casper would be my best chance at The Festival this year. She's a classy mare, who travels very well in her races, and it could just fall into place for her."
MULLINS FINALISING BUMPER PLANS
Willie Mullins - who has landed Cheltenham's Weatherbys Champion Bumper on five previous occasions - expects to have three runners in this year's contest in ex Irish point-to-pointers Mad Fish and Cooldine along with Fiveforthree.
The trio worked with several other Festival contenders in gallops at the Curragh on Wednesday and the Co Carlow trainer is looking forward to Cheltenham.
"All being well we will run Fiveforthree, Mad Fish and Cooldine in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. They worked at the Curragh on Wednesday and all three are in good form. I have not sorted out any jockeys for them yet," said Mullins
"Mad Fish has come on for his second to Aranleigh at Fairyhouse and I'm very happy with him. He certainly does all the right things at home. Tony's [Mullins] horse that beat him that day would be the one to beat I would imagine, and Cork All Star, trained by Jessica Harrington, also has tremendous form.
"Cooldine looks to be improving - it was a very slowly run race last time which would not have been ideal, as he has a staying pedigree, and Cheltenham will suit him. Fiveforthree has come out of Punchestown well and I'm pleased with him. He has progressed for the race and he's done a couple of nice bits of work since then.
"I think that only three of my five Cheltenham Bumper winners would not have had previous point-to-point experience. Although it's a nice introduction for youngsters, it's also quite risky if you have a very valuable horse!"
Mad Fish, who was bought for 16,000 euros as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland, failed to find a buyer when reoffered at the same venue as a three-year-old and was led out unsold at 19,000 euros. Meanwhile, Fiveforthree was sold for just 6,000 euros as a foal at Tattersalls Ireland.
Mullins' Festival team is also set to include Snowy Morning, winner of three of his four starts over fences, and Black Harry, winner of a Fairyhouse novices' hurdle by a distance on January 21.
"Snowy Morning looks like going for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase. I am pleased with how he has come out of his Navan race and I think the Spring will suit him better," added Mullins.
"If the ground happened to dry up that would also be in his favour. Although he has run on heavy going this term, he has form on better ground - he won his maiden hurdle on nearly summer ground.
"If he can make the jump up from Grade Two to Grade One company, then he's gong to be an exciting horse, because he stays well and jumps well. Cheltenham will tell us a lot about where we can go with him in future.
"One horse I am particularly looking forward to running is Black Harry in the Brit Insurance Novices' Hurdle. He was very impressive when he won at Fairyhouse and he stays and jumps well, plus he will love the soft ground.
"He came out of the race in good order and worked very well on Wednesday. Although he hasn't run since January, he had plenty of runs before that so he's fairly straight."
DOZEN FOR WILLIAM HILL LINCOLN TRIAL
A dozen horses have stood their ground at the final 48-hour declaration for the £50,000 William Hill Lincoln Trial (3.30pm), the highlight at Wolverhampton on Saturday, March 10.
The extended mile contest has been won by some notable performers in the past including subsequent Group Three scorer Vortex in 2004. In 1999, Captain Scott scored at Wolverhampton before only finding Right Wing half a length too strong in the Lincoln itself.
Among this year’s declarations, seven - Orchard Supreme, Humungous, Speedy Sam, Very Wise, My Paris, Tanzanite and Collateral Damamge - also hold entries in the William Hill Lincoln on March 31, run at Newcastle this year while Doncaster completes the final stages of its £32 million redevelopment.
Trainer Kevin Ryan is looking forward to saddling My Paris on Saturday, ahead of a tilt at the William Hill Lincoln itself at Newcastle on March 31.
My Paris ran creditably to finish three and a half lengths eighth to Bravo Maestro in the extended mile contest at Wolverhampton last year, his first start since coming third to Blue Monday in the 2005 totesport Cambridgeshire the previous October.
The six-year-old gelding is following the same path this term, having finished midfield behind Formal Decree in last season’s totesport Cambridgeshire on his latest start.
Ryan revealed today: "My Paris is in good form. Obviously, he’s not quite match fit as it’s his first run of the year but he’s very tough and he’s drawn well in one.
"He ran a good race in the William Hill Lincoln Trial last year and he seems in good heart with himself."
The gelding failed to win in 2006 but posted some useful efforts in defeat, notably when six lengths third to subsequent dual Group One winner Librettist over a mile at Nottingham in June.
Ryan commented: "He had a good year in 2005 when he had a lot of hard races and you often find that some horses don’t quite reproduce their best the next year.
"A few times he didn’t get his ground - he’s a horse that loves dig in the ground and he can grind it out. When the ground is a little bit lively, the faster horses tend to pick up and quicken past him. In saying that, he ran some solid races last year.
"The plan is to go to the William Hill Lincoln where he looks to have a decent weight (8st 10lb). It will be nice to win on Saturday but if he doesn’t then it will be nice to see him run a big race before he goes to Newcastle."
The lightly-raced Humungous finished a promising eighth of 13 in the seven-furlong bonusprint.com Handicap at Lingfield on February 24 when making his seasonal reappearance and his trainer Charles Egerton is hoping the four-year-old, who finished sixth to Sir Percy in the 2005 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, can come on for that effort.
Egerton commented: "His comeback run at Lingfield was a satisfactory run and I hope he will progress from that - he certainly needs to.
"At the moment, it is looking unlikely that he will go to Newcastle for the William Hill Lincoln, as he needs decent ground. In any case, Saturday’s race is a nice prize in itself.
"He hasn’t been handed the best of draws (11 of 12) but we will just have to ride him positively.
"I will be disappointed if he doesn’t run a big race on Saturday."
Kate Hills, Head of Marketing and Public Relations for Arena Leisure, commented: "The William Hill Lincoln Trial has gone from strength to strength in recent years and is the perfect prep race for horses going on to contest the William Hill Lincoln as well as being a very valuable prize itself."
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