Going - Soft.
Jackpot Pool - £201,684.92 Dividend - £35,799.00 Winning Units - 4. Placepot Pool - £786,960.07 Dividend - £352.00 Winning Units - 1631.59. Quadpot Pool - £50,660.59 Dividend - £135.70 Winning Units - 276.11.
Allen lands Ballymore in style
He was our best chance of the week. Everyone was here to see him and he did everything he needed to do. He jumped, he stayed and when he got to the front, he did what he had to do. He was bit tired after the race and knows he had a race today. Davy said they went a proper gallop and he showed how good he is. When he swung off the home turn I thought he was too far out of his ground, but listen both our horses ran great races, Easywork in second and him winning — it was brilliant. He was our big runner of the week, so there was big pressure on us. I have to discuss it with the owners, but we will enjoy today and see what happens. He was bought to be a three-mile chaser and that’s all I’m saying. I’d imagine Punchestown will now be the plan. It wasn’t an easy decision (to go for this race over the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle), but thankfully it worked out right.
Champ lunges late to grab RSA glory
It didn’t look very likely to happen, did it? It looked like he was going to be an honourable third — I was watching the front two and all of a sudden he appeared in the picture. I was thinking, ‘how has he got here?’. He was 100-1 at the second-last and what price was he at the last? We had the Might Bite thing in this race a few years ago, so you’d have to say it’s been a strange race for me.
Geraghty & Henderson strike again with Dame
There is a long way to go to go, but you are getting into the realms of, ‘I don’t believe it’ type of thing. You certainly couldn’t believe Champ. She is a lovely mare this and she is tough. It is always a very competitive race, but she was very good. There wasn’t that head-long Coral dash you normally get with a lot of horses flat to the boards, there were a lot of horses travelling and coming down the hill — anything could have won. To be fair we thought we had reasonable grounds to appeal and we did win it, but I’m not going to harp on about that as I don’t want that to be the headline news. The handicapper thought (her rise) was fair, we thought it was a bit unfair and it saved us a couple of pounds which was probably quite important. In that sort of field you have to have a bit of luck and you have to be in the right place at the right time to get the breaks. She was good enough and she had the gears as well. She is a lovely, big mare and she would jump a fence, but she is tough and I think that is the main thing, you have to be in races like that.
Politologue powers to Champion Chase success
My plan when I rang John up at Christmas was I said I wasn’t going to run him until the Champion Chase. I wanted to do everything I could to have him fit and fresh and all week and he’s just been looking amazing. He had a great prep. He ran ran well last year and was entitled to go close on that run, and I thought he was in a better place. I just decided this year we’d bring him here really, really fresh. He’s been doing all his work with Clan Des Obeaux, who is the same, and he’s been in really good form. He looked outstanding in the parade ring beforehand and I have been getting more bullish about him. It’s his fifth Festival in a row and testament to the horse, he bled after the Tingle Creek and we just changed a few things. He does all his work on the level and trotting up the road. We just tweaked his work to stop him bleeding and he did the job right.
Tiger second as Easysland shines in cross-country
That just took the toll on him in the last couple of furlongs and I couldn’t go with the winner, who was a very good winner on the day. He is a very good horse. He felt very good, just the ground got him beat. I was expecting a good run from him, as he seemed really well. His coat had changed and he was in great form. It is a big advantage to come here in December and to know the track. He did well in December and he won then. The heavy ground was going to be in his favour. He is a horse that is extremely well balanced, that easily follows and can go in that ground easily. When you have a cross-country horse you have to train them when they are young over those jumps and we have been very patient with him — we have given him a lot of time to get him where he is now.
Hollow proves best in bumper
He just ran too free on his first two runs and putting a hood on him has changed him, as have more drastic tactics in holding him up. He is lovely at home, but he takes a pull. In a race he gets a little bit upset so I think jumping will suit him a lot better. We will probably go for the Champion Bumper at Punchestown now and maybe the same for the other horse, Appreciate It.
