Paisley Park in perfect place as latest Cheltenham mission looms

Emma Lavelle hopes Paisley Park will be benefited by a full crowd at Cheltenham as he prepares for an attempt to regain his crown in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.

The much-loved bay has been a constant presence in the division since the 2018-19 season, when he was unbeaten in five runs and capped a superb term with victory at the Festival in the long-distance hurdle highlight.

The following campaign he was unable to hold on to his title after finishing seventh behind Lisnagar Oscar when suffering from a later-diagnosed heart issue, but he recovered the season after to tussle with Philip Hobbs’ top stayer Thyme Hill in Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle and Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle – with each horse taking a race apiece.

His 2021 Festival run ended in a third-placed finish behind Flooring Porter and he began the current campaign with a string of further third-placed runs in the bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby, the Long Distance Hurdle and the Long Walk Hurdle.

A return to Cheltenham for the Cleeve Hurdle, an event he had won twice previously, ended in a dramatic triumph as he looked ready to refuse to start as the tapes went up but was eventually cajoled by Aidan Coleman and remarkably inched his way into the race to prevail by three and a quarter lengths.

Next week he will head back to his favourite track in a bid reassert himself at the head of the staying hierarchy, and is reportedly in fine fettle ahead of the meeting.

“Touch wood he’s in really good form, he’s done everything we could have wanted from him up until this point,” said Lavelle.

“Aidan’s in tomorrow (Tuesday) to give him a pop over a hurdle and everything’s gone well, we’ll just keep all of our fingers crossed that he can continue in that vein all the way to Cheltenham.”

Paisley Park has started as the favourite for the past three runnings of the Grade One feature, but this time around he looks unlikely to head the market as Flooring Porter, Klassical Dream, Thyme Hill and Champ are all at shorter prices.

“It’s lovely to have a favourite because they’re the favourite on their form going in to it, but at the same time now we can just go there and enjoy it,” Lavelle said.

“He’s been such a star and his last run proved he still has the ability, we go there hopeful and just wanting to enjoy it.”

Lavelle’s stable star is owned by Andrew Gemmell, a popular and dedicated figure in the sport who was, like all owners, unable to watch his horse in action last season due to Covid-enforced restrictions at the track.

Gemmell will be in attendance this time, however, along with a full-strength crowd that Lavelle hopes will boost the chances of Paisley Park.

“I think for Paisley it’s a positive, he loves the crowds and it gets his blood up,” she said. “The fact that the crowds are there again will be a big plus for him.”

The Lavelle team will have a further handful of Cheltenham contenders across the week, with Eclair Surf and Red Rookie the only doubts from the entries the yard has made.

Red Rookie is in both the Arkle and the Grand Annual and it is the latter race he may line up for if conditions prove to be soft enough at Prestbury Park.

“We’d look at the Grand Annual if we were going to look at anything for him, but he needs proper soft ground so the rain would need to start falling for us to think about running him,” said Lavelle.

“I think he’s very well handicapped, but there is a balance between being well handicapped and not having enough experience.

“We will make a very considered decision as to whether we run him or not, there is an option to go to Ascot a week later so I think the weather will dictate what we do with him.”

Top Dog, who has a Listed bumper win to his name, will take his chance in a hot renewal of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

“Top Dog will run in the bumper. He came out of Newbury really well, he’s clearly got a big engine but a little bit of quirkiness to go with it, hence his desire to go left a bit.

“There are plenty of lovely horses in the bumper, but I think he deserves his chance. He’s run well at Cheltenham already so he’ll go for that.”

In the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Lavelle intends to run Western Victory, a nine-year-old mare previously trained to Listed success in Ireland by Declan Queally before switching yards and finishing fourth and third in the Warfield and the Yorkshire Rose respectively.

“Western Victory will run in the mares’ hurdle, she came over having had good form in Ireland,” the trainer said.

“We took a little bit of time just to get to know her, she’s a filly that’s on the go all the time and it just took us a while to work her out.

“She had two runs in quick succession and I’m looking forward to running her, she’s in good form.

“A little horse called Hang In There will also run in the Coral Cup I’d say, if the ground isn’t too soft. That’s our small team, but I think they all warrant their place.”

Eclair Surf will sidestep Cheltenham in favour of Grand National options after his second-placed run in the Eider Chase at Newcastle.

Contesting the marathon four-mile-one-and-half-furlong handicap under top-weight, the gelding was beaten a length and a quarter at 15-2 by Christian Williams’ Win My Wings.

Having made most of the running Eclair Surf was five lengths behind the winner over the last fence but rallied under Tom Bellamy to gain ground approaching the line and cut down the losing margin.

“He ran absolute stormer, it was just a shame I suppose as he’d have run the same race had the ground been soft and it might have inconvenienced the others more,” Lavelle said of the run.

“He gave away plenty of weight and galloped all the way to the line, we were delighted with him.

“Considering what a test of stamina these races are, once he gets into his zone he just keeps galloping.

“I think he was gaining on the winner going to the line, stamina clearly is his strong suit and I think the ability to handle soft ground as well, those things are key to him.”

Prior to the Eider run Eclair Surf was a Grade Three winner at Warwick when landing the Classic Chase by a wide-margin 13 lengths from David Pipe’s Gericault Roque.

In both races the bay displayed an improved style of jumping having previously been prone to throw in the occasional errant leap.

“He made one big error at Warwick and got away with it, in the Eider he was the one that got better and better as the race warmed up,” said Lavelle.

“He’s definitely learning what to do with his feet when he’s a bit gassy at the beginning, he’s getting much more secure with his jumping which is definitely good news.”

The eight-year-old holds an entry for the Ultima Chase at the Cheltenham Festival but will not go, nor will he take up an engagement in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on the following Saturday.

The Scottish Grand National and the Grand National itself are both preferred options, but the ground will be a factor and he will need some luck to make the cut for the Aintree spectacular.

“Quite a few are going to have to come out for him to get a run in the National, that could dictate whatever happens this year,” Lavelle said.

“We definitely won’t go to Cheltenham, I think the same will be said of the Midlands National, that will come too soon as well.

“We’ll make an entry for the Scottish National and we will keep confirming his entry in the Grand National, I think our realistic options are to have a look at those two.

“He might even get an entry in the Bet365 Gold Cup just in case the ground was quick at Ayr and he didn’t get into the National and it then rained later in spring.

“He’s certainly come out of the race really well in himself and all options will be open apart from Cheltenham and the Midlands National, which will both come too quick.”