Weekend previews: Asian Maze is set to lead a strong Irish challenge against the French on their home turf in Paris next weekend as Irish horses try to continue their fine recent record at the Auteuil track.
Nobody Told Me (2002) and Rule Supreme (2003) have both won the French Champion Hurdle, the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil, for Willie Mullins. Now his brother Tom will run Asian Maze in the Grade Two Prix La Barka in eight days' time as a possible warm up for the same race next month.
The Barka is a recognised trial for the Champion Hurdle and although Asian Maze may yet swerve the big race for a run on the flat at Royal Ascot instead, the star mare will definitely run in France next weekend.
"The plan is she will do a last bit of work this weekend and then we will look to ship her over on Tuesday or Wednesday," said Tom Mullins yesterday. "If Ruby (Walsh) is available he will ride."
Asian Maze is one of five Irish-trained horses remaining in the Barka although Willie Mullins stressed yesterday that the entries for both Euro Leader and Adamant Approach are purely "speculative." However, Michael Hourigan confirmed Kerryhead Windfarm a definite runner and could be joined by last year's champion four-year-old winner Strangely Brown.
"We will run over there and I would imagine Andrew McNamara will ride. If everything is okay we would then come back and get him ready for the Champion," Hourigan said.
Strangely, Brown's memorable win last June came in the Grade One Prix Alain Du Breil and this year it will be Willie Mullins who targets that race with a strong squad of juveniles headed by the Punchestown winner Quatre Heures. Mullins has four entries left in tomorrow week's trial, the Prix de Longchamp, including Mister Hight, but said yesterday: "Quatre Heures is the most likely to run and he seems in good form."
One absentee from the Willie Mullins team for France, however, will be the top novice chaser Missed That who had been proposed as a candidate for the Champion Hurdle.
"I'm not happy enough with him. He still seems to be a bit tired after Punchestown so we will leave him alone," he said. "In the long term the King George has always been definitely at the back of my mind for him. But the way he ran at Leopardstown during the winter showed he likes the place and jumps well there. He will be entered for the Lexus Chase as well."
Ruby Walsh will be in action at this evening's Punchestown card where the champion jockey has a number of good-looking rides including Mesopotamia in the opening maiden hurdle.
The ex-Aidan O'Brien-trained horse had his first start for seven months when just beaten on his jumping debut at Limerick at the start of the month. With that experience under his belt he should be hard to beat now.
Dermot Weld has picked up Walsh's services for Kinger Rocks in the conditions hurdle and this versatile mare looks good enough to account for Walkin Aisy.
Oscar's Advance scored the fifth win of his career when making an impressive chasing debut at Tipperary and, although the drop back to two miles for the conditions chase is not ideal, the JP McManus runner should still be one to reckon with.
