On Sunday we witnessed the strongest race meeting of the
season so far at Fairyhouse. Three grade 1s, a grade 3 juvenile hurdle, two intriguing
handicaps and a highly competitive bumper; this was a day where the emphasis
was firmly on quality over quantity. Unfortunately, due to the injudicious
carving up of Newbury’s, once great, showpiece card, the same could not be said
for Hennessy Gold Cup day.
To no one’s surprise,
Willie Mullins dominated the racing at Fairyhouse winning two of the grade 1s
and the bumper with an exciting recruit, Outlander. The only grade 1 that
eluded him was the first, the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, a race he took last
year with the ill-fated Sous Les Cieux. After Ruby Walsh had ridden his second
grade 1 winner, on Zaidpour, he was interviewed about his successful day and,
notably, he suggested that prior to the racing he felt his best chance of a
winner was Champagne Fever. This was
understandable as he was the shortest price of Walsh’s three rides (the only
favourite amongst them) and he had been last season’s best bumper horse in
Britain and Ireland. When he won the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, under
Patrick Mullins, he had also comfortably accounted for Sunday’s main rival, Jezki.
The only real concern for Ruby Walsh and the connections of Champagne Fever was
the trip. This gangly grey son of Stowaway was never going to be a Supreme
Novices Hurdle horse, he won his Champion bumper through stamina and guts, and
nothing about him suggested he would be at his best at two miles over hurdles. What
he had shown was class and a high cruising speed, so it was hoped that on the
soft ground he could get away with it. Champagne Fever is a relentless galloper
but he lacks a turn of foot and that proved crucial in Sunday’s outcome.
Ruby Walsh set off in front on Champagne Fever, the same
tactics had been employed on each of his four previous (winning) starts including
his hurdling debut over two miles at Cork, and he took the small field along at
a reasonable pace, clearly intent on avoiding a sprint to the line. Champagne
travelled comfortably in front for much of the way, jumping with exuberance,
looking every inch the chaser he promises to be. As Ruby Walsh tried to
increase the pace, however, his jumping started to falter, Mullins had
suggested he might be ‘a bit novicey’ having only had one run over obstacles, and
while he was trying to stretch the field he was hampered by slow leaps at the
last three hurdles. Walsh kept asking his mount for more and more effort and
Champagne Fever kept finding as he always had done in the past, but at the
second last Jezki was still, seemingly, cruising on the bridle with Geraghty
just biding his time. As the pair crossed the last in front, Geraghty played
his hand, drawing clear of Champagne Fever who had no answer to the change of
pace. To his credit he kept battling to the line and was giving the winner
three pounds but on this evidence it is difficult to envisage a scenario where
Champagne Fever could reverse the form with Jezki at two miles over hurdles,
barring heavy ground bordering on unraceable.
There were excuses for Champagne Fever’s defeat put up by
Willie Mullins, including the track at Fairyhouse being difficult for
front-runners and this was relatively close to his hurdling debut, yet it is
hard to watch the race and draw any conclusion other than he needs further to
be seen at his best (preferably over fences but that will have to wait, sadly).
As someone who holds Champagne Fever in the highest regard, I was disappointed to
see him beaten at Fairyhouse. Immediately after the race I struggled to believe
that was as good as he is, I felt it was possibly a flat performance and the
presence of Zuzka just a length behind confirmed this for me. On reflection
this theory was short-sighted and underestimates Jezki who had looked so
impressive over hurdles up to this point. Champagne Fever had his own way in
front and he wasn’t pressed for the lead, but as the pace quickened his jumping
suffered suggesting at a two mile pace his hurdling is not quite quick enough. He
did manage to see off almost the entire field before the last but as he
maintained his impressive, if not spectacular pace, Jezki, who had looked a
speed horse his entire career, accelerated in the fashion of a real Supreme
Novice.
Jezki, for trainer
Jessica Harrington, had looked a high class novice hurdler already this season. There was a
doubt about the worth of the form of his last run, where powered to victory on
the bridle, until the second, Un Beau Matin, beat a decent field, including
dual Royal Ascot winner Simenon, comfortably on his next start. That in isolation,
then, was quite a performance from this four-year-old son of Milan, but he received
a further boost when Ally Cascade, second to Jezki on their hurdling debuts,
came out and beat a well touted Mullins runner in a maiden hurdle on Friday. Ally
Cascade succumbed to Jezki’s turn of foot, much in the way Champagne Fever did.
Barry Geraghty settled Jezki on the inside from the off on
Sunday. There was no sign of him being keen with Geraghty happy to be left in
fourth upon jumping the first, no more than four lengths off the primary target
Champagne Fever. There was, though, cause for concern at the second flight as Geraghty
pulled his mount out to get a better view of the hurdle and Jezki jumped left
over it losing ground on those ahead. He did the same at the third, this time
looking even more awkward before a mistake at the fourth. His natural pace was
enough to maintain the desired position but once again he jumped left at the
fifth and he even jumped the last two flights slightly left. His jumping,
therefore, was far from accomplished. Had Champagne Fever taken the last three
flights fluently Jezki may have been in trouble, but while this display leaves
a doubt in the back of one’s mind, I would not be overly concerned as this was
his first run right-handed. Back on a left-handed course we will surely see
significant improvement and this must make his performance more meritorious as he
was able to win a grade 1, defeating a strong field in the process, despite
jumping left nearly throughout.
Connections of Jezki have made clear their expectation that
he would be even more impressive on better ground despite three convincing
victories in testing conditions. Thus, his ideal race would be on a left-handed
course on good or good to soft ground, the circumstances he would likely face
in the Supreme. His form was already solid enough to be considered a top novice
prospect, but in defeating Champagne Fever he has shown form that will be hard
to match in the two mile novice hurdling division, especially as Willie Mullins’
charge will no doubt run over further from now on. After the race most bookmakers
cut Jezki into 10/1 favourite for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, Ladbrokes were on
their own in offering 14/1 which was a crazy price on the back of that
performance. I would have him no bigger than 8/1 favourite for the Festival
curtain raiser and any bookmaker offering double figures, most of them still are,
is being generous. There will have to be some special performances in the next
few months, from the likes of Waaheb and My Tent Or Yours, to shift him from
his position at the head of the market.
For those against Jezki there is one run to cling to from
his career so far, his only run at Cheltenham. He finished eighth in the
Champion Bumper, nearly twelve lengths behind Champagne Fever, but he shaped
well there, just lacking for stamina. He is also improving with experience and
as a four-year-old he must be strengthening up all the time. That run would be
of little concern to me, particularly as he did seem to handle the track and it
was a very similar run in the race to that of last season’s Supreme winner
Cinders And Ashes. Winners of that Champion Bumper have a poor record in the
Supreme as it generally requires a different type of horse to win each race,
the bumper is often a test of stamina where as the Supreme is more a test of
speed, a test Jezki will excel at.
Of those in behind Jezki and Champagne Fever on Sunday, Zuzka evidently shaped the best
finishing just a length behind her stablemate in third. She stayed on well at
the finish, having travelled up to the leaders two out, just lacking the class
of the front two. She can only find weaker races than this and will take some
beating next time out, and there is no reason to think that she won’t handle a
step up in trip. A horse who needs a step up in trip is Minsk who finished a respectable fourth. Very useful on the flat, he
was a talking horse last year, but on his hurdling debut failed to deliver and
then missed the rest of the season. He came back over hurdles last month with a
dominant display over two-and-a-half-miles and it was assumed a drop back in trip
would not bother him. In fact, he simply lacked the speed to stay in the race
from two out and his trainer, Dessie Hughes, has already stated that his next
target will be back over further. Some distance adrift of the first four was Clonbanan Lad. He does not appear up to
this level and it may be the case that he needs the heavy ground.
