Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham: Jonbon course fears remain a red herring

Jonbon is a chaser in his prime and it’s surely going to take an unknown quantity, or perhaps extreme weather, to lower his colours in the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase. Age is on his side, both in the comparative youth of his profile and new-found maturity in his demeanour – and in jockey Nico de Boinville, he has discovered his ideal foil.

I don’t buy the argument that he’s less effective on left-handed courses, nor concerns about his ability to produce his best specifically at Cheltenham. The latter notion was discussed earlier in this series (see the show below if you need to remind yourself) and I don’t propose to repeat myself. In short, correlation does not imply causation. There are good systemic or specific reasons why – to date, at least – his best form has thus far been expressed on right-handed tracks.

First, it’s entirely logical that Jonbon should be reaching his peak around the time of his official ninth birthday. Once a worrier, he is old enough no longer to fret so palpably in public, and trainer Nicky Henderson’s team has his pre-race routine down pat.

Furthermore, the Shloer – at left-handed Cheltenham in November – was his seasonal debut, explicitly a launchpad for bigger targets later in the season. The next two Grade One two-mile chases in Britain – the Tingle Creek at Sandown and last Saturday’s Clarence House at Ascot – are staged at right-handed tracks. They just happen to be there, that’s all. (The finer details of his defeat when the latter race was again transferred to Cheltenham last year are addressed in Road 2, as referred to above.)

Given how Jonbon and de Boinville have blossomed as a partnership, it’s no stretch to believe he would have won his last two races wherever they were staged. Indeed, if anything, his technique of adjusting left was more explicit than ever at Ascot – a track he was facing for the first time over fences and which exposes such a bias more ruthlessly than any other in Britain.

Jonbon assumed control of the race pretty much from flag-fall, jumping the first alongside the 2022 winner Energumene and the second obstacle marginally ahead, both more smoothly than his two-years-senior rival. Paul Townend wouldn’t allow his mount to become too keen, reining him back explicitly on landing at the second to take a lead from Jonbon. This enabled de Boinville to take his foot off the gas after the third, whilst leading out the field for their final circuit.

The other two watched on from behind, Boothill going keenly and the lovely Edwardstone, Energumene’s fellow veteran, travelling with characteristic enthusiasm. Breather taken, downhill towards the fifth Jonbon ensured it was increasingly game on.

De Boinville’s controlled aggression suits Jonbon, facilitating him racing on the front foot and yet giving him space to adjust his stride when he prefers. They know each other that well. Winding up the pace, they attacked the open ditches and stretched their pursuers or else Jonbon was neat when in close, losing minimal time in fleet-footed adjustments. The net effect was Boothill scarcely clinging on at the fourth last.

The next fence brought the only sharp intake of breath from the Ascot crowd, when Jonbon adjusted left and took an extra-close step at an obstacle that immediately precedes the right-handed home turn. He parted the birch, but it barely broke his stride. Energumene slipstreamed the leader around that bend, as did Edwardstone but not as instantly and at a remove.

Yet even before take-off at the second last, it was clear the race was over bar accidents – and there were none. Jonbon continued to adjust left in front but he was nimble at that fence and striking at the last when asked to go boldly long. He drew clear by six-and-a-half lengths.

Of course, Townend has been here before with Energumene – standing in Ascot’s second-place spot and pondering how to gain revenge on that Nicky Henderson-trained horse in the winner’s circle. But that was three years ago, when the solution was a change of tactics, from forcing the pace to being patiently ridden, and Shishkin beat himself anyway, never going from the outset at Cheltenham. He won the dark-side battle with Energumene but perhaps lost the war.

Fast-forward to the present, when we’ve seen Energumene twice since his 20-month absence due to a tendon injury and there’s no indication he’s capable of recapturing his peak form. That apex is still a couple of pounds or so higher than Jonbon’s career-best here, but the setter of that former standard is currently falling about 11lb or 12lb short.

Willie Mullins has thus far been an accurate barometer of expectation, warning after Energumene’s Hilly Way success – given a race, in receipt of 10lb, by subsequent King George winner Banbridge – that he didn’t think there was likely to be as much improvement as many might think in the winner. This Ascot performance was indeed better, but not that much better.

If these are indeed the effects of age, wear and tear, then it comes to us all. Yet make no mistake: Energumene remains a high-class competitor and a threat to all at two miles, perhaps especially on testing ground.

As discussed in this week’s Road To Cheltenham show (watch below), Jonbon is untried on heavy and has always been said by Henderson to thrive on a sounder surface whereas Energumene and younger stablemate Gaelic Warrior are both proven in the mud – as illustrated in the Timeform data shared in that show and also reproduced below.

Yet, of course, Energumene also holds a Ryanair option and there is a scenario whereby the cards fall that way. Gaelic Warrior would need to impress in next week’s Dublin Chase, becoming (or confirming his position as) Closutton’s number-one Queen Mum hope. That’s clearly not guaranteed, given Leopardstown is not his favourite place.

Current Ryanair ante-post favourite Fact To File would need, at a minimum, to demonstrate in the Irish Gold Cup sufficient progress against Galopin Des Champs to ensure the Cheltenham version remains his target. Yet the former’s owner JP McManus has Spillane’s Tower – with no other Festival entry – for that race anyway.

Yet the largest obstacle to this variation is surely El Fabiolo. Plainly earmarked over the summer as Mullins’ prime Ryanair candidate, his training setback has eaten up many months of time and he may be pushed to give of his best at the Dublin Racing Festival next week.

The home hypothesis on his underwhelming previous season is that two miles – especially away from testing ground – puts too much pressure on his jumping. Yet an alternative theory is he must prove he isn’t just a precocious talent unable to make the transition into open company, particularly in the technique department, in the way that Jonbon – beaten five-and-a-half lengths by him in the 2023 Arkle – demonstrably has.

It is absolutely Mullins’ modus operandi not to keep running horses beaten by the top dog against that top dog again, but rather to bring in a new player like Gaelic Warrior. Yet the Closutton Order has also shown exactly zero inclination to run Energumene in the Ryanair, so it’s impossible to recommend a bet even on NRNB terms. (10/1 best with Sky Bet if you’re stubbornly interested.) They seem to be resigned to defeat, bar for divine intervention.

That’s despite his latest effort in defeat still being right from the top drawer. We shared a slightly truncated version of the below chart from Timeform’s Tom Heslop on this week’s show, and it demonstrates those horses who have achieved the most 165+ performances over their careers. The grey area represents the number of sub-165 efforts from each of these superb horses.

It’s a different way of considering a horse’s quality, rather than just using his or her zenith figure. The scale of sub-165 runs is, of course, affected by how swashbuckling their campaign was (those were the days), and how often or long or briefly they raced.

Energumene is currently ranked eighth, behind fellow active athlete Galopin Des Champs in fifth but above the younger Jonbon at 19th. But just look at that standard set by Kauto Star . . . 

“I think we ran admirably but time and age took its toll,” Patrick Mullins told Sporting Life’s Dave Ord. “He’s not quite as quick as he was, but I suppose if you were looking for grounds for optimism, he’s been beaten in a Clarence House twice before he’s gone on to win at Cheltenham. So, maybe we might be slightly better at Cheltenham and Jonbon might not be at his best at Cheltenham? And if it came up heavy, maybe the amazing could happen.”

Don’t @ me! Energumene’s second Clarence House defeat was at Cheltenham and I’ve already made clear I don’t agree with this Jonbon/track group-think. The point of that extract is to demonstrate Team Closutton aren’t considering alternative scenarios. The white flag seems to be flying.

Before we leave that yard, it’s worth noting hopes that Il Etait Temps might make Punchestown – having not been entered at all at Cheltenham – are receding fast. “I’m not sure he will make this season at all really, which is disappointing,” Willie Mullins reported. “He just got a little knee trouble, but we had him right and back in training, and then it went wrong again. I’ve almost pulled the plug in my own mind and if he comes back for Punchestown that would be the very best thing.”

Over to Windsor for the Fleur De Lys Chase, with an acknowledgement that the Berkshire Winter Millions can be considered almost entirely a success. The supply chain, alongside Britain’s discrete exacerbating factors of a broken developmental system and a prize-money structure that rewards anti-aspirational campaigning, are the root causes of field sizes its organisers no doubt wish had been bigger. Yet the on-course atmosphere was clearly positive. Racecourse customers and participants alike seem to have embraced the concept.

The only element that perturbed me was the siting of the third-last fence – the first of three in quick succession in the home straight. It comes up quickly after a counter-intuitive right-handed incline on what is otherwise a sharp left-handed track, and there seems to be something 'off' about how horses approach it.

The frequency, type and severity of errors that occurred there over the two days causes me to believe this issue should be of particular focus in the British Horseracing Authority’s routine wash-up of this fixture. This fence seemed to jump slightly better on the Sunday than the Friday, when the fourth-last (inexplicably in this day and age, a water jump) was omitted and the three (portable) obstacles in the straight were moved to the left. But that still did not resolve the problem.

It didn’t bother Protektorat in the Fleur De Lys Chase, however, who was in the mood to eat fences if they got in his way. He was always looking for the next one, either accelerating eagerly towards it or measuring his approach and putting himself right. No wonder Harry Skelton was so effusive in his praise for this horse afterwards. They never saw a rival after the start.

This comprehensively reversed the Peterborough form with Djelo, who jumped right at most fences and seemed unsuited by the track. After his defeat of Protektorat at Huntingdon in November, examined the right- and left-handed records of this duo (and that of Ginny’s Destiny, who runs at Cheltenham at the weekend, dropped to handicap company), concluding: “It’s possible Huntingdon’s right-handed orientation not only exaggerated the winner’s dominance but also suppressed the capabilities of his closest pursuers.”

I’d suggest Windsor is the equal and opposite reaction to Huntingdon. This was Protektorat back to his very best after two lesser efforts, each with excuses to a greater or lesser extent, but clearly absolutely everything went right. Defending his Ryanair crown might yet be a harder task this year.

Djelo can handle a galloping left-handed track such as Cheltenham’s New Course but this was nothing like that. Indeed, Journey With Me appeared to hate the experience – jumping hesitantly, even nervously, as Protektorat took them along at a helter-skelter pace. He even appeared unbalanced on the sharp bends, taking a stumbling step sideways at one point.

Inevitably, the speed got Ahoy Senor in a flummox – nodding at the first, awkwardly to the right at the second, guessing correctly at the seventh, hitting the ninth and making another mistake at the tenth. This big, old-fashioned chaser likes Aintree but this track is faster again and he seemed to be leaning inwards at the bends.

Rider Patrick Wadge, deputising for the injured Derek Fox (discussed in the novice-chase section below) sensibly pulled him up rather than jumping the third last. Good decision. No, great decision. He also reported to the stewards – and it was evident to the eye, too – that his mount “stopped very quickly”. This clearly wasn’t Ahoy Senor’s bag but it means he’s now pulled up twice in succession for the second time in his career. He could do with a confidence booster.

This must have been a culture shock for a horse as lightly raced and inexperienced as Indiana Dream, running in Britain for the first time and for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill, having left Mullins’ yard after winning one of each – a bumper for his first trainer in France, and novice hurdle and chase in Ireland from just three starts.

It was probably a wise move for Jonjo O’Neill Jnr to drop him out straight away – unhurried to the first, where his mount landed statically – but that did mean he was never remotely involved bar for a secondary race with Tommie Beau for fourth, which he managed to win.

That horse was also entirely unsuited to this test and Michael Nolan rode him sensibly in the circumstances. He’s set to be turned out quickly again in tomorrow’s Cotswold Chase against opponents who are, once more, a grade or two superior. At least the track will fit him better.

Over at Thurles that same day, the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase was a Grade Two event for Grade Two horses. It was won by Appreciate It, who benefitted from a well-judged ride from Sean O’Keeffe and weak finishes from his key rivals, stablemates Classic Getaway and the (perhaps non-staying) favourite Blood Destiny.

At one point in the straight, that pair appeared to have it between them but Appreciate It stayed on the strongest. The winner had been banging his head against better rivals for the best part of two years – this was his first win since the January of his novice season – so it was great to see him being found a suitable opportunity.

Up at Haydock on Saturday, Royale Pagaille never looked likely to win his third Peter Marsh after jumping tentatively in the early stages. When Charlie Deutsch pushed him forward in the back straight on the second circuit in an attempt to get involved, his jumping totally unravelled and he was eventually pulled up. He was – again – returning from a minor setback here and is difficult to keep sound due to an ingrained tendency to over-reach and cut himself when jumping 

The race was won by galumphing giant Mr Vango – I mean this very much as a compliment – who jumped extremely well and saw off a persistent challenge from 2021 Welsh National winner Iwilldoit, himself a magnificently dependable stayer. Consistent Richmond Lake caught the eye in third with the manner of his finish, suggesting even an extended three miles is now within his compass.

Finally let’s return to where we started, with the Champion Chase. Matata surely secured his place in the line-up with a ten-length romp under top-weight and a mark of 155 in Windsor’s two-mile handicap chase last Sunday.

Clearly, he was favoured by such an extremely speed-favouring track but was also more tractable than in the past. He tolerated restraint from first-time partner JJ Slevin – new retained jockey for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede – and a lead from Editeur Du Gite until joining him at the eighth, jumping it better and then stting sail for home. That was it. Race finished.

Unexpected Party stayed on for second after jumping the last – no surprise – better than Crebilly. Sans Bruit, patiently ridden under a complete change of tactics by Harry Cobden, was creeping closer approaching two out but had his path checked by the weakening leader.

At Windsor last Friday, Gidleigh Park became the latest high-profile horse to bounce back from atrial fibrillation – a condition from which trainer Harry Fry has also coincidentally recovered – by winning the Grade Two Lightning Novices’ Chase under an aggressive ride from Bryan Carver.

Fry’s stable jockey had been swift to pull up his mount at Kempton last November, thereby minimising the chance of a lingeringly bad experience. Following veterinary treatment overseen by the acknowledged expert in this field Dr Celia Marr, Gidleigh Park was ridden with renewed confidence and served up ideal tactics for a drop back to two miles on a sharp track.

Alongside two of his three rivals at the first, the winner jumped it best and was ceded full control of the race after then second when Cobden elected to take back on Caldwell Potter. That was a pivotal moment at a track whose current layout suggests the ability to establish and maintain a prominent early position is paramount.

The decision to steady She Wears It Well approaching the first was therefore game over from her first strides, as she was never remotely in the hunt – but then she didn’t convince at her fences anyway. Trainer Jamie Snowden’s representative told the stewards she “appeared to not appreciate jumping fences on this occasion”. A switch back to hurdles may await, despite this track clearly being unsuitable for her.

Personal Ambition, who’d vied for the lead initially, soon began jumping raggedly – to the left and the right, though no longer able to plead figure-of-eight confusion at this track. Although he ground his way back into contention four out, he was outpaced on the run to the dreaded next and drifted down to his left before jumping it awkwardly.

Meanwhile – having delivered the cleanest round of jumping of the entire quartet – Caldwell Potter tried to pressurise Gidleigh Park approaching three out and didn’t hit it as low down as the leader, this being an obstacle where lesser evils prevail. On landing, if anything it looked like the grey might hold the slight advantage but those roles were instantly reversed at the next, after which Cobden’s mount could only keep on at the one pace.

That’s three times in a row that the runner-up has jumped well but lacked bite at the business end – when dominating on chase and yard debut at Carlisle (forgivable at the time, following nearly a year off), at Cheltenham behind a couple of admittedly smart novices in Jango Baie and Springwell Bay, and now here.

Afterwards, trainer Paul Nicholls said of his burdensome expensive charge: “Harry got off and said he’s a very nice horse but not a champion, and I'd echo that. There are no excuses; he came there to win two out and he didn’t. You’re not expecting to win a Champion Chase with him at the moment.

“He’s not easy to train. We had issues in the spring which is why I couldn’t run him and I still have issues with him all the time with his feet... You wouldn’t want to run him on quick ground . . . I still can’t work out what trip he wants and Harry said he didn’t know . . . A big, galloping track might suit him better, but you can’t keep making excuses. I wouldn’t be afraid to stick him in the Grand Annual. We’ve just got to box clever with him.”

Nicholls also mentioned Caldwell Potter had “a lot in his favour” at Windsor, yet this was good-to-soft ground on a speed-favouring track. Whilst his jumping is clearly an asset, his standout form to date remains that Grade One novice-hurdle success on heavy ground at Leopardstown. Cobden himself said at Carlisle: “He’s going to be a soft-ground specialist.” Such a strong preference, combined with a left-hand bias, does make this horse a high-profile niche project, however.

Gidleigh Park, meanwhile, was scruffy at times – dragging his hind legs through several obstacles and (forgivably) giving three out a belt – but he also demonstrated pace, appetite and scope, for example standing well off the sixth but landing it.

“I think relief is probably the overriding feeling,” Fry acknowledged afterwards. “First and foremost, that he's come out and jumped and galloped and hit the line hard… All summer, I couldn’t believe I ran him in the Albert Bartlett over three miles to be honest because he’s not a slow horse, as he’s shown there today.”

A year on, Fry duly entered Gidleigh Park for the two-mile Arkle – for which his charge is an unconsidered 33/1 shot in a race that could cut up. There are merely 25 entries and a number of horses, as things stand, are unlikely to play here – Ballyburn, Caldwell Potter (unless it’s heavy?), Dee Capo, Impaire Et Passe, Jordans, Sir Gino and The Jukebox Man (unless it’s testing). Plus, some others don’t appear good enough. Interestingly, following his explicable defeat at Naas, even Inthepocket has been entered in a DRF handicap…

Windsor’s earlier three-mile novices’ limited handicap chase was an eventful race in which Herakles Westwood continued his steady upwards progress over fences. He’s possessed of a savagely efficient jump and made the track look straightforward – taking closer order at the sixth, travelling strongly just behind the pace and assuming command approaching two out. There’s definitely more to come this season, especially from a novice with such a good technique.

Oddly, runner-up Deafening Silence was clipped into a shorter price than the winner for the revamped NH Chase and there’s no doubt the longer trip would suit. He adjusts habitually right – as demonstrated at Haydock on debut and when out of his grade behind Jango Baie over too short a trip at Cheltenham last time – yet has hitherto not raced right-handed over fences. With that context, he’s probably better than this literal form at a track like Windsor but the winner kicked him out the way.

It was magnificent to see Gericault Roque back on the track after more than two years on the side-lines. He was this column’s 2022 Ultima selection, in which he finished second to some horse called Corach Rambler, and I’d wondered where he was.

He’s still a novice over fences – the type that annoys Ruby – with seven starts, including third in the Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase, under his belt. He shaped here as though he retains enough ability to be considered a modern-day National candidate, but sadly he’ll struggle to make the cut. Perhaps the Scottish version might be a viable alternative?

Even though he would have finished closer but for being hampered by the fall of Myretown at the last, chasing may not be decent handicap hurdler Kyntara’s bag. This is the second season he’s tried it, admittedly for different yards. He also bled from the nose when stumbling and falling at the last in the Sefton last April. Forcing the pace, rather than the patient ride received here, might suit him best.

Myretown is exactly the type of horse Windsor’s tricksy third-last in its current position will always catch out. He’d been jumping well enough but like a novice and markedly out to his left. When joined in the lead there, the counter-intuitive angle at which the approach appears to meet that fence caused him barely to take off. His habitual sideways adjustment instead caused him to plunge through the fence and take a horrible fall.

He appeared to get up okay, albeit with the saddle slid around his belly, and I hope he did not suffer any ill effects later. Pilot Derek was fired into the ground and stood down for the rest of the weekend, missing the hairy ride on Ahoy Senor two days later. Myretown’s connections should permanently cross Windsor off this promising chaser’s agenda.

Bhaloo was pulled up by de Boinville for the second start running, previously over hurdles, but ran better here than it might appear. Having adjusted debilitatingly right at pretty much every fence, this waste of energy saw him weaken before three out after which he was eased down. He’s worth returning to a right-handed track, such as Ascot where he made his winning chase debut in November, and perhaps dropping back in trip.

The following day, the Hampton Novices’ Chase – rescheduled at Windsor after the abandonment of Warwick the preceding weekend – attracted just three runners, one of whom played no meaningful part.

Johnnywho raced in last throughout, spent too much time in the air on the first circuit – jumping carefully and repeatedly steadied on landing – and made mistakes on the second. Yet he was still within hailing distance of the other two at the third-last fence, which he hit it halfway up – not the worst of the trio’s preordained mistakes there, as it happens.

After that, rider O’Neill Jnr became even more defensive, nursing his mount over the penultimate fence and permitting him to make a good guess at the final obstacle. Prior to easing his mount right down from less than three lengths behind the runner-up on landing to 25 lengths adrift at the line, O’Neill had a good look behind him – presumably to check a fence attendant wouldn’t pass him for third on the run-in.

Jonjo Snr had given Sky Sports Racing viewers due warning of what to expect from Johnnywho in his pre-race interview with Matt Chapman in which he initially agreed there is “more to come from” the horse. “But I can’t find it,” he warned. “We’re struggling. We think – or we thought – he was better than what he’s showing, but he’s not showing it unfortunately. So, every day is a day of learning.”

When this horse is duly eased in grade for a staying handicap, no matter how supposedly favourable his mark, he will still have to jump – and, even if this track was unsuitable, his penultimate start at Ascot would also make you question whether he’s learning enough. (cf. Crebilly in the 2024 Plate.)

At the other end of proceedings, Jingko Blue might not have won had Lowry’s Bar jumped the third last cleanly, or merely not banked it. The winner had made more mistakes than the runner-up but it was its scale, force and proximity to the finish – with two quick fences between there and the line – that gave the long-time leader no time to recover from his error.

Contrastingly, Jingko Blue made the least consequential of the trio’s full set of inevitable errors three out and saved some of his better leaps for the final two fences. Beforehand, Henderson had referred to keeping apart this horse and Jango Baie – both of whom are owned by Countrywide Park Homes Ltd’s Tony Barney, who was present at Windsor with his wife Donna.

We learnt that (a) Henderson thought Jingko Blue “is the stayer of the two”, and (b) Barney and Chapman share a taste in coats. Yet the race turned out to be a test of speed at the trip and Jingko Blue didn’t need to improve on his Uttoxeter chase debut in order to triumph. 

Following these exploits, the winner and runner-up were both entered solely (to date) in the Brown Advisory at the Festival whereas Jango Baie – whose next target is the Grade One Scilly Isles over 2m4f at Sandown on Saturday week – has been signed up for both of its Grade One novice events. Johnnywho appeared in neither list.

I could write an essay about last Saturday’s fascinating beginners chase at Navan alone. It was won by hardy second-season novice Three Card Brag. He jumps well and will clearly do better over further, yet I can’t be certain he would even have won had any of his three closest pursuers been less concerned about finishing too near to a 147-rated chaser.

Runner-up Kinturk Kalanisi had admittedly made a series of minor early mistakes but he was travelling strongly in a close-up third in the straight and then, despite not getting two out entirely right, found himself a length at most behind the hard-ridden winner in second. There was much shuffling from the saddle either side of the fence on the latter, then some taps and belated whip waving, by which time the winner had already pulled away and this horse just kept staying on. Put him in your tracker for a handicap over this trip or further.

Also add third-placed Captain Cody, who nearly snatched second under pressure from the last after being waited with in the straight and steadied into two out. I’m not sure what was going on between that fence and the last, but he looked a lot more straightforward under pressure on the run-in than he had briefly appeared then. I suspect he’s a bit pacier and more adaptable than the thorough stayers who surrounded him at the finish.

Now Is The Hour is the final name for your tracker from this race. Underline him in red if the technology permits. He began the race detached in last but, after getting into the bottom of two of the first three fences, remained there despite starting to jump fluently whilst those around him made various and repeated errors.

He responded eagerly to mild encouragement on the home turn, sauntered into the straight and jumped the third last – well – in fifth. Still going smoothly approaching two out, he was angled left but got into the bottom of two out, after which Keith Donohue became briefly animated. He then steadied his mount and popped the last, brandishing the whip twice on the run-in for encouragement.

This horse is now as short as 7/2 favourite for Cheltenham’s National Hunt Chase – a race that, as of this season, is a 0-145 handicap. Now Is The Hour was good enough to win a Grade Two novices’ hurdle at Haydock last February and shaped promisingly on chase debut behind Ile Atlantique at this track in early December, before marking time behind Shannon Royale on New Year’s Eve.

He hails from Gavin Cromwell’s shrewd yard – the outfit, you may recall, that won last term’s Kim Muir with Inowthewayurthinkin – racing off a British mark of 145 and at the should-have-been-improbable price of 13/8 favourite for a Cheltenham handicap. With three starts in six weeks under his belt, Now Is The Hour has just been awarded an opening chase mark of 135 by Ireland’s domestic handicapper yet Britain’s equivalents reserve the right to handicap all runners under their differing system. I’m not suggesting this horse is Grade One standard like his stablemate, but he’s capable of a lot better than this.

Trainer Gordon Elliott identified Grand Nationals as the winner’s targets, but which variety is not yet certain. He told Racing TV’s Johnny Ward: “I imagine we’ll be looking now at the English National, Scottish National – those sorts of races. He’ll have an entry in the Irish National but the English National is a race I always thought would suit this horse – and the lads [owners] have a big association with Ayr too.

“I wouldn’t have thought Cheltenham. He wouldn’t need too many more runs. If the National Hunt Chase was what it used to be, we’d probably definitely be going there, but it’s not.”

Although he did need to be pushed into the bridle at the start, Three Card Brag immediately made prompt headway on the inner to press the leaders at the second where his superior jumping propelled him into a brief lead. With cheekpieces reapplied after he was too keen on handicap debut at Leopardstown over Christmas, he remained prominent for the entire three-mile trip.

He routinely out-leapt Olympic Man, who again showed a propensity to bulldoze fences – the second and ninth on this occasion, the latter blunder despite being unhassled on the lead.

Closutton stablemate Loughglynn took the widest trip but was always in the leading group. Despite looking consistently ungainly in his jumping and adjusting left, he was never in danger of falling. Having adjusted left, bumped into Captain Cody at the last and landed awkwardly, he found only the one pace for fifth but I thought he stayed the trip well. He doesn’t look quick enough for shorter and certainly needs to enter the handicap system, as he falls short of anything better.

The Xing Pai Star Professional prize for the worst jumping – a hotly contested prize in this race – goes to My Trump Card, who somehow managed to be in seventh at the third last where his rider’s reaction to a relatively mild lack of fluency suggested PTSD from his experiences at the preceding 14 fences.

Jeel Des Mottes jumped and ran a lot better than odds of 200/1 imply. He’s going to need handicaps at the lowest level but ran better here than when flattered in that steadily run Punchestown event won by Shannon Royale and referred to above. Grand Soir took a thumping fall when running well in that same contest and, unfortunately, jumped here as if that experience had seriously undermined his confidence.

Cuta Des As again suggested she may prefer left-handed tracks but markedly regressed from her Cork debut. Coming Up Easy ran well in the prominent group until cutting out alarmingly after landing a shade unbalanced at the fourth last.

At Thurles, the following day, Nara managed to win for the second time over fences – this time against fellow mares in Grade Two company, despite still looking like the novice she is. Going with zest on this step up to two-and-a-half miles, she got the same ditch wrong on both circuits but responded well at the next fence and was, in truth, readily on top by the line.

Two-and-a-quarter lengths behind in second, Broomfield Bijou was all out at the finish but conjured apparently by far her best effort yet over fences. Judicieuse Allen shaped as though she needs further, on the back foot against the front pair from three out and her position accepted by Townend long before the last prior to being ridden out to regain third from A Penny A Hundred, who’d been more patiently positioned than usual and was unable to get at all involved.

Advised 19/12/24: Majborough at 5/1 with Bet365 for the My Pension Expert Arkle Chase

Advised 02/01/25: Lossiemouth at 7/1 with Bet365 or BetMGM for the Unibet Champion Hurdle

Advised 11/01/25: Corbetts Cross each-way at 25/1 with various for the Randox Grand National

Advised 02/01/25: Gaelic Warrior at 5/1 with Paddy Power for the Queen Mother Champion Chase