Robbie Power: "I don't fancy Frodon, Kemboy is the one to beat"

One of the finest riders of his generation, Robbie Power has endured a difficult start to the current National Hunt season. The multiple Grade One winning rider broke his nose, cheekbone, tore tendons in his arm and fractured his hip when unshipped from Hans Gruber in a maiden hurdle at Tramore in October.

Power had only returned to the saddle 11 days earlier following four months on the sidelines as he recovered from back surgery. However, despite that rotten spell of luck, the Grand National-winning rider is excited to be back in time for one of the biggest meetings of the year, this wekeend’s Dublin Racing Festival.

Power returned to action by partnering the talented Saint Felicien to finish second in the Grade Three Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas last weekend and he issued a positive update on his wellbeing ahead of the Leopardstown two-day extravaganza.

He said: “Everything is good. I couldn’t be happier with things since I came back. The older you get, the longer it takes to recover. When I first had the injury back in October, I didn’t think it would take this long to get back. Hip injuries are very tricky and obviously as a jockey, your hips are doing most of the pressure. When you’re older, you also have to be 100 per cent. You can’t come back at 90 per cent.”

Power has been booked to ride Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Minella Indo in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Saturday afternoon for Henry De Bromhead. With Rachael Blackmore likely to be on A Plus Tard in the Blue Riband contest at Cheltenham, connections have decided to utilise Power with a view to keeping the ride at Prestbury Park in March.

Discussing the situation on the On The Wire podcast, Boylesports ambassador Power said: “I went down to Henry De Bromhead’s and schooled Minella Indo on Wednesday. He looks fantastic and feels in great form. He is very fresh and well in himself and it is a great race to be riding in.

“I don’t think he has a whole lot of troubles. He is not the first horse to run bad in a King George and come out next time and win - Chantry House did that at Cheltenham the other day. I rode Lostintranslation in a King George where he was pulled-up and he then finished third in a Gold Cup. Kempton just didn’t suit Minella Indo.

“I’m looking forward to riding him on Saturday. He is the reigning Gold Cup champion, he is a very good horse and he should hopefully run a big race.

“I don’t fancy Frodon. Paul Nicholls is the master trainer at getting horses ready first time of the season. He had Down Royal pinpointed as Frodon’s Gold Cup for the year. Down Royal was his Gold Cup, his run in the King George was average for a horse who handles Kempton as well as he does. I don’t think he is going to improve anything for that.

“Kemboy’s form around Leopardstown is rock solid. He has won the race before and is the one to beat on form."

Power is also no stranger to success at the Dublin Racing Festival having steered Sizing John (2017) and Supasundae (2018) to success in the Irish Gold Cup and Irish Champion Hurdle. Reflecting on those victories and the importance of the meeting, Power revealed: “Winning the Irish Gold Cup on Sizing John was fantastic. That was the highlight for me and Supasundae’s win in the Irish Champion Hurdle was another highlight. We ran in that race purely as a prep run to sharpen him up for the Stayers’ Hurdle as he had been racing lazily and I thought a run would sharpen him up. I got a great buzz out of that and it was probably his best performance.

“The Dublin Racing Festival has been a huge success and I think it will continue to be that. This year has been so unusual with the dry weather we have had, I just hope Leopardstown have put enough water on the track so we get the racing that we want and the likes of Galopin Des Champs, Minella Indo and all those other top-class horses run as we need those horses running and for those races to be competitive.”

Paul Nicholls is doubly represented at Leopardstown this weekend and whilst Power welcomes the British contingent he also laments the lack of competition throughout the season in Britain.

“It’s great that the likes of Frodon and Greaneteen are coming over”, said Power. “You don’t have a Festival like this in England. It’s just a pity a lot of the time, especially with novices that trainers avoid each other. I don’t see why they keep trying to avoid each other. A few more clashes should be had in England – maybe there are too many options at Grade Two and Grade Three level. If you had a few less of those races and few more Grade Ones, the good horses would have to clash. Whether that makes any difference come Cheltenham I’m not so sure as good horses win anyway. It just seems to me and it is a little bit frustrating that people ie trainers, owners gear everything about Cheltenham. There are only going to be 27/28 winners at Cheltenham and there is an awful lot of prize money to be won during the rest of the season. A lot of horses running at the Dublin Racing Festival will win big prize money, but won’t win at the Cheltenham Festival so why would you avoid winning a big pot prior to the Cheltenham Festival. I would gear my season around winning some big races and any wins at the Cheltenham Festival are a bonus.”