Tuesday, April 27, 2004

MOSCOW FINISHES CAMPAIGN WITH A FLYER

"Barry (Geraghty) said that was the nicest ride he'd ever had off the horse in Ireland because they went a good gallop," said Harrington. "The horse was very switched off which is great, you can always rev them up again. It's great to finish off the season like that and he'll be out in a field next week. I was delighted to see him so relaxed today."

Harrington confirmed that Moscow Flyer is now on course for a step up in trip to three miles for the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton, for which he is quoted at 5/1 with Cashmans.

"The King George is the idea now and it's only if it was bottomless ground that we might think again, he's 10 now and will be 11 next year," added the trainer. "He'll probably start off over two miles, though, in the Fortria Chase at Navan, where he began this season."

INCA BATTLES BRAVELY

Brave Inca, who came home to rapturous applause after winning last month's Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, received a similar reception after getting the better of Aintree winner Royal Shakespeare in a photo for the Grade 1 Evening Herald Novices' Hurdle.

The winner, one of just 16 horses trained by Co Kerry-based Colm Murphy, is now unbeaten in four starts and connections are dreaming of further Cheltenham success next March.

"He's class, just unbelievable," said Murphy, who spent six years learning the trade with Aidan O'Brien. "Every time you work him, he just frightens you - he's that good. He won at Cheltenham on the Tuesday but didn't come back until Thursday and we had to ride him out on Thursday morning as he was so fresh.

"At the moment we are thinking along the lines of the Champion Hurdle next season. We won't be in a hurry to get him back in, we'll probably only give him one run before Christmas.

"My heart was in my mouth today but he's as tough as nails. The ground had dried out enough for him today, he'd prefer more of a stiff two miles."

Jockey Barry Cash was equally thrilled by the victory. "He doesn't do a lot when he hits the front and I was worried turning for home. But he's as tough as nail and loves a battle and I don't think you'll see him win by four or five lengths again, he knows how to do just enough now." said the rider. "The track is in absolutely perfect condition but the ground was lively enough for him. This is my local track so to win here makes it a bit special."

There was a turn-up in the fiercely-competitive Murphy International Ltd Handicap Hurdle when Joey Elliott, now based in Britain with Martin Pipe, brought home the Michael Cunningham-trained Supreme Being in front.

The winner paid 85/1 on the Tote and returned a 33/1 starting price but the victory was not a total surprise to Cunningham.

"He was fourth in this a couple of years ago when Shay Barry thought he would have won but he lost 20 lengths when one fell in front of him," said the trainer. "We planned to run him at Fairyhouse but he was cast in his box so did not run. But he was on a perfect weight of 9st 4lb today, the ground was perfect and Joey is riding very well."

The EUR100,000 Bewleys Hotels & European Breeders Fund National Hunt Fillies' Championship Bumper gave 7lb-claiming amateur Leonard Flynn the biggest success of his career when coming home two lengths in front aboard Missindependence for trainer Charlie Swan.

HUGE CROWD

Today's attendance at Punchestown was a modern-day record of 15,229, 17.1 per cent up on the crowd figure of 13,000 on this day 12 months ago.

The four-day Irish National Hunt Festival, which this year boasts record prize money of EUR1.7 million, continues until Friday.

KING GEORGE AIM FOR LORD SAM

But it was Lord Sam, trained in Devon by Victor Dartnall, who eventually prevailed by a head from Hi Cloy and he is now being aimed at the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, for which he earned an 8/1 quote with Cashmans.

"He's a class horse and I'm delighted with that," said Dartnall. "He would have preferred three miles but he had been quick enough over two and a half when he won at Kempton."

Lord Sam had not run since January and had missed Cheltenham and Aintree due to an infection so Dartnall had been keen to come to Punchestown.

"I wanted to give him another run before we put him away and it's only in the last fortnight that he's told us he's back. He just needed more practice and nearly overjumped the third - he was giving the fences a bit of air.

"We must aim at the big boys now so the King George will be the target - there's nowhere else to go really.

"I have only 18 horses and am very lucky that among them I have him and another really good one in Mount Clerigo, who is bred on the same lines."

Amateur Jeremy Cash, cousin of Brave Inca's rider Barry Cash, began the Festival with a 33/1 surprise when beating 7/4 favourite Takagi by a length in the opening Kildare Hunt Club Chase aboard Andrewjames for trainer Peter McCreery.

"He came here on Good Friday to school over the banks course and went well so it wasn't such a great surprise," said McCreery of his winner, who paid around 90/1 on the Tote.

"If he gets to the front too soon he stops and Jeremy is a real horseman. He has a yard of his own and would be more into hunting and showjumping but spent some time with Tom Taaffe and rides out for us a couple of days a week."

The winner, who joined McCreery after a spell with Paul Nicholls in England, is set to make hay while the sun shines and will reappear in Thursday's Quins Of Baltinglass Chase for the La Touche Cup.

"He'd never contested one of these banks races before but if he's alive and well on Thursday morning he'll be out again," added McCreery.

Six go to post in tomorrow's feature Grade 1 Punchestown Heineken Gold Cup at 3.50pm including First Gold, who 12 months ago became the first French-trained winner at the Irish National Hunt Festival when landing this famous event.

The totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup third Harbour Pilot, Rince Ri, Royal & SunAlliance Chase hero Rule Supreme and Michael Hourigan's stable star Beef Or Salmon complete the big-race line up.

41 HIGH-CLASS HURDLERS HEADED BY WESTENDER ENTERED FOR SATURDAY'S FEATURE AT HAYDOCK PARK

Martin Pipe, the champion trainer, is responsible for Westender who was third on his last two starts, to Hasty Prince in Sandown's Concept Hurdle and to Rhinestone Cowboy in the Martell Cognac Aintree Hurdle, both earlier this month, and he also has the next horse in the weights, Copeland (10st 13lb).The weights will rise by at least 13lb if Westender does not run.

The Lancashire racecourse stages a mixed programme with jump and Flat racing and all seven contests are sponsored by leading bookmaker Stanley Racing which has its headquarters in Liverpool.

Charlie Mann today announced that Demi Beau (9st 12lb) is a definite runner in the Freephone Stanleybet Swinton Handicap Hurdle, the first major race of the new jump season.

The six-year-old looked to have every chance when falling at the last in the Listed Martell Cordon Bleu Handicap Hurdle at Aintree on April 3.

The Upper Lambourn-based trainer said: "Demi Beau has come out of his fall with no problems. He's fine and he's been schooled since - it was just a disappointing thing to happen.

"My jockey [Noel Fehily] doesn't exaggerate very often and he was adamant that Demi Beau would have won and the horse was staying on quite well. I don't know to be honest and the ground was a little bit softer than he would have wanted as well.

"I don't mind if the ground is good or fast at Haydock. Although he has won on good to soft ground, he just doesn't want it too soft but I think we're in for a fairly good week [weatherwise] so we should be OK.

"I don't really know if he'll run after Haydock - I need to talk to the owner [Hugh Villiers]. If I can find anything else, Demi Beau might run a bit through the summer and have his break in the winter. We've got him right and we'll see what happens on Saturday and take it from there."

Kirkland Tellwright, clerk of the course at Haydock, reports the current going as "Good," on the hurdle course, which is being watered, and "Good To Soft," on the Flat course, which is not being watered. The weather forecast is for fine weather apart from some showers on Thursday.

Scottish Champion Hurdle first and second, Copeland (10st 13lb) and Benbyas (10st 7lb) could lock swords again following the former's five-length success at Ayr on April 17.

Declan Carroll, Benbyas's trainer, today revealed that he is hoping to run the seven-year-old, as long as the ground is suitable.

Carroll, based in Yorkshire, said: "Benbyas will run in the Freephone Stanleybet Swinton Handicap Hurdle if the going description mentions soft - the secret to seeing this horse at his best is soft ground and so we are in the hands of the weather."

Benbyas ran in last night's 10-furlong Ramside Event Catering Classified Stakes on the Flat at Newcastle as a prep for Saturday, finishing a disappointing fifth of six.

The trainer reported: "It was a tactical affair and they didn't let him get away like he needs to and he had to be pushed along a fair way out - he likes to be able to get his own way really.

"The main thing is that he's come back 100% sound and there are no problems with him.

"I wouldn't say that he's had too much racing of late and he's definitely still on for Haydock if the ground is suitable - we'll put the run behind us.

"He's also entered next week in the Chester Cup which would also be a consideration if the ground came up soft there.

"It was a good run at Ayr - the handicapper thought it was anyway as he put him up 3lb for it!"

Last night's outing was Benbyas's fourth on the level since the Flat turf campaign began at Doncaster on March 25. He had been in fine fettle, winning twice including the Rectangle Group Handicap at Haydock on April 10, when he was unchallenged in defeating Nakwa by seven lengths.

That race was his first run at Haydock and, when asked if he thought his charge was particularly suited by the course, Carroll replied: "I think Benbyas probably prefers to go left-handed. He's very versatile as to track so it doesn't really matter but a good, easy two miles is ideal for him and Haydock is an easy left-handed two miles so I would think that would be fine."

Others entered in the Freephone Stanleybet Swinton Handicap Hurdle include the John Berry-trained Jack Dawson (9st 1lb), who has already been confirmed an intended starter, and The French Furze (10st 6lb), trained by Nicky Richards, fourth in the Scottish Champion Hurdle and victorious in the Pertemps "Fighting Fifth" Hurdle at Newcastle earlier in the campaign.
Five representatives from Ireland could bid to become the first successful horse to conduct a raid from across the Irish Sea since She's Our Mare struck for Tony Martin in 1999.

This quintet includes the Christy Roche/J P McManus trainer and owner pair of Puck Out (9st 13lb), who won the Listed Martell Cordon Bleu Handicap Hurdle by four lengths from Fundamental (9st 6lb), the race in which Demi Beau took a tumble, and The Kop End (8st 9lb), third to the Jessica Harrington-trained Macs Joy (9st 10lb) in a valuable handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse earlier this month.

The Arthur Moore-trained Tiger Cry (9st 2lb) and Portant Fella (8st 9lb), trained by Joanna Morgan, are the other Irish possibles.

The feature event is well-supported by the opening £27,500-added FREEPHONE STANLEYBET LONG DISTANCE HANDICAP HURDLE (1.10pm), run over two miles and seven and a half furlongs, has attracted 29 hopefuls.

Champion trainer Martin Pipe has four possibles including Deano's Beeno, who has been a standing dish in the best long distance hurdles for over five years now, Tarxien, who has returned to hurdling having won a Grade One novices' chase at Sandown last term, the lightly-raced Isard III and Carlovent, who won a handicap hurdle at last year's Aintree Festival and has now dropped to a significantly lower mark in the handicap.

Other notables include the Richard Price-trained Court Shareef, the length runner-up to Monkerhostin in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham's National Hunt Festival in March, Freetown, trained by Len Lungo, the 2002 hero of the Pertemps Final at the same event, and the Venetia Williams-trained His Nibs, who was successful in this year's Martell Cognac Somerfield Handicap Hurdle by two lengths from Keepatem.

The £10,000-added FREEPHONE STANLEYBET FLAT V JUMP JOCKEYS HANDICAP STAKES (2.10pm), for four-year-olds and upwards rated 0-70 over a mile, is a new initiative which has drawn a magnificent 44 entries.

The Sylvester Kirk-trained Karaoke could bid to improve on his fifth in a similar event at Sandown on Saturday, when leading flat rider Johnny Murtagh found himself without much room over a furlong out on the well-backed four-year-old.

Riding arrangements for this six-person team event will become clearer as the week goes on but one certainty is that the Flat squad will be looking for revenge on their jump counterparts, who filled first, second and fourth in the Sandown race, which went to the Tony McCoy-ridden Lifted Way. The champion jockey, Martin Pipe's stable jockey, was over the moon to get the better of the Flat boys'.

The other four events on Haydock's card on Saturday, May 1 are also well-subscribed at the five-day stage with the Listed £30,000 STANLEYBET.COM SPRING TROPHY STAKES (2.45pm), over seven furlongs, drawing 18 entries including Godolphin's Meshaheer, Millennium Force, Polar Ben and Russian Valour, the six-furlong £14,000-added FREEPHONE STANLEYBET CONDITIONS STAKES (3.20pm) attracting 21 possibles, the £8,000-added FREEPHONE STANLEYBET HANDICAP STAKES (3.55pm) has 26 entries and the concluding STANLEYBET.COM MAIDEN STAKES (4.30pm) gaining 29 entries.

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