Under The Radar: six to note in the yard of Paul Nolan

Last season was another good one for Paul Nolan.  He won the big two-mile-one-furlong handicap chase at the Dublin Racing Festival with An Peann Dearg, he won the big mares’ handicap chase at the Easter Festival at Fairyhouse with Kiltealy Park and, of course, he notched up another Cheltenham Festival winner when Daily Present won the Fulke Walwyn and Kim Muir Chase

That was a fourth Cheltenham Festival winner for the Wexford trainer.

His horses earned more prize money in Ireland than in any of the previous 13 seasons. 

This campaign has started off brightly too.  There were four maiden hurdles run at Wexford on the last weekend in October, and Nolan won three of them, all with hurdling debutants.

There was another maiden hurdle at Gowran last week and he won that too, with another horse who was making his debut over hurdles.

On Sunday, he sent out Iceberg Theory to win a handicap chase at Cork, and he won the Listed Grabel Mares’ Hurdle at Punchestown with Feet Of A Dancer, and that all augurs very well for the season ahead.

He shares his thoughts below on six horses.

He was placed in valuable handicap hurdles at the Fairyhouse and Punchestown Festivals in the spring of 2024, and he did well last season, his first season over fences.  He won his novice chase at Down Royal in January, and he ran well in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham in March to finish sixth.

He ran another big race to finish fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham this month.  He was right there with them and travelling well on the run down the hill.  He probably doesn't win as often as he should win, but it’s rare that he doesn't come home without prize money.

We’re just having a think about where we might go with him next.  All his wins have been over the minimum trip, but he is effective over two and a half miles.  He’s settling better now, so we might look at riding him a little more prominently than we have been riding him.  We’ll see.

She did well for us last season.  She finished third in two Listed mares’ hurdles in the early part of the season, and then he put up good performances in some of those high-class staying handicap hurdles.  She finished third in a Pertemps qualifier at the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown before going to Cheltenham in March and finishing fourth in the Final.

We were delighted with her recent win in the Listed mares’ hurdle at Punchestown.  We thought that the two-and-a-quarter-mile trip might have been on the sharp side for her, but she stayed on well to win impressively.  She’s a handy mare, so I wouldn't want her carrying big weights in handicaps, but we’ll be building towards Cheltenham in March again with her.

We were delighted with his victory in the two-mile-five-furlong handicap chase at Cork.  His jumping was good and I loved the way that he hit the line.

The handicapper raised him by 9lb for that win, but there should be improvement in him.  It was his first run of the season and it was only his third chase.  He won his beginners’ chase over two miles and six and a half furlongs at Limerick in May, and he should do better again when he steps back up in trip.  Looking further ahead, he could be a horse for one of the staying handicap chases at Cheltenham in March.

He was a big price when he won his maiden hurdle on his racecourse debut at Wexford last month, but it wasn’t really a surprise to us that he won.  He had been going really well at home and we were hoping that he would go well.

He travelled well and he jumped very well for a horse who had no experience at all.  He has a nice pedigree and he has a lovely temperament.  We’ll look for a nice four-year-olds’ race for him now, or a novices’ race.  We like him but, like all of them, he’s going to have to improve again if he’s going to be competitive in a higher grade.

He stayed on well to win his maiden hurdle at Wexford last month over two miles and half a furlong, and he stepped up on that when he finished second to Kalypso’chance in the Grade Three Monksfield Hurdle over two and a half miles.

I was getting a little worried after the first few hurdles on Sunday, it looked like they were going just that stride too fast for him.  Then he settled into his rhythm and I thought that he was going to run well.  Then, on the run to the last, I thought that he was going to win.  In the end, he couldn't get past Gordon’s [Elliott] horse, who is a classy and tough bumper horse from last year, but he still ran really well.

He's training well and we’re delighted with the way that he is stepping up.  He stays well, and he won’t be dropping back in trip from two and a half miles anyway.   

He ran three times in bumpers last spring, and he finished second behind good horses in all three.

He made his debut over hurdles at Gowran Park three weeks ago, and he won nicely.  He stayed on well up the run-in to get up and beat the two market leaders in a maiden hurdle that looked like a good race on paper.  I loved the way that he hit the line.

He’ll obviously have to step up in grade now, but he should improve for that run.  He can step up in trip now too, a step up in trip will probably improve him, and he won’t mind testing conditions.