Olly Murphy column: views on my Festival Trials Day team

OM: We had a very quiet start to the month as a lot of the horses were given their flu jabs, but we’ve had eight winners in the last week and had a good weekend at Windsor, bringing home plenty of prize money, so I’m happy with how the yard is going at the moment. My only New Year’s resolution was to train more winners, and finish as high up that trainers’ table as I can…!

OM: It’s a big day’s racing with a lot of prize money on offer. I’ve got plenty of runners and each-way chances this Saturday. 

When you’re trying to maintain a position on the trainers’ table, you want to be as competitive as you can be on days like these. It would be lovely to think we might have a winner somewhere too. 

I tend to use Trials Day just like any other raceday, rather than as a prep run for a Festival, but we have a couple of horses running at Cheltenham this weekend who haven’t been there before, so dependent on their performances and how they handle the track, they may well go back in March for the Festival. 

OM: Barlovento runs in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (12.05). He’s a young, improving chaser, who can hopefully justify his recent four-pound rise in the weights. Fingers crossed he can handle the track. He was a good winner on his last start at Kempton and has trained well since, so we’re looking forward to running him. 

Then Booster Bob goes in the two and a half mile handicap chase (1.15). He’s risen sharply in the weights since his win at Newbury when he was last out in November, but he did win that race well, so I thought it was a fair enough rise. He is in very good form and likes being fresh, so we think he can run well. Whatever happens, we’ll learn more about him and whether he can handle the track or not. He’s seeking a hat-trick, and this is a competitive, valuable handicap. He’ll need plenty of luck in running, but I think he can do it. 

In the Cleeve Hurdle (3.35), Strong Leader takes on Impose Toi once again, who beat us the last two times. His last run at Ascot in the Long Walk Hurdle was certainly a career best and he’s come out of the race well. His form figures aren’t as good around Cheltenham as they are elsewhere, I think he prefers a flatter track, but we’ll have another go. Impose Toi is going to be hard to beat, having defeated us fair and square on the last two occasions, but we’ll take our chance. He’s a bit older and wiser now, and he should handle Cheltenham’s undulations a bit better now. Impose Toi may well beat us again, but we’ll make sure we give him a proper race!

We have two running in the Grade Two Novices’ Hurdle (4.10). The Blue Room and Adonedeal. The former stepped into Graded company very nicely last time, finishing second, and I don’t see why he can’t improve again. He’s still very unexposed, he stays well and he’s been freshened up since last time. This race will tell us where we are with him and will dictate whether we go down the Handicap route or the Graded route in the spring. This looks a very warm race, but I’d like to think he can run better than his price of 10/1. 

Adonedeal steps up in trip from two miles for this, which I think he will appreciate. This is a step up from a novice race around Plumpton, but I think he can improve on his first two starts around this bigger track. He’s been a star for his connections and we’re all looking forward to finding out more about him on the back of this race. He will have to improve on what he has shown us so far, but fingers crossed he can run well from a big price. 

12.05 - Barlovento 7/2

1.15 - Booster Bob 10/3

3.35 - Strong Leader 7/2

4.10 - The Blue Room 8/1 & Adonedeal 33/1